What’s up mobsquad?! Wah Wah that was definitely not ideal! The Rams came up short to the Vikings in a hard fought battle on the road. But they now return home to Los Angeles to take on the Saints and I’ve got some things for you to keep your eye on.
Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints
Well, like I said, this week was definitely not ideal. I knew it was going to be tougher this week, and everyone has been talking about the Rams’ tough schedule as they close out the regular season. Well, yeah this was tough. The Rams faced their former quarterback, Case Keenum, who is having a hell of time in Minnesota. He went 27 of 38 for 280 yards and one touchdown against our defense.
Now, the Rams offense struggled quite a bit this week. Jared Goff went 23 of 37 for 255 yards and no touchdowns. Cooper Kupp, one of our most solid receivers, struggled to keep the ball in his hands. With the game tied at 7, the rookie wide out caught a 3rd and 4 pass from the 11-yard line over the middle and approached the goal line before Vikings safety Anthony Harris stripped the ball out and recovered the fumble at the 1. On another play early in the fourth, Cooper Kupp again had plenty of room to get some yardage down the field but just couldn’t hang on to Goff’s pass. Todd Gurley was able to get very little going with 37 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. Overall, the rams’ offense just couldn’t outplay the extremely talented Vikings’ defense.
The Rams defense turned out to be pretty depleted this week. Cornerback Kayvon Webster didn’t return after halftime due to a concussion. Then Nickell Robey-Coleman hurt his thigh in the second quarter and didn’t return. This was a major downfall for the Rams’ secondary and the Vikings definitely took advantage. Even with the injuries, there is no taking away from the Vikings offense. The Rams played an extremely good team this past week and they learned a lot. Now, the Rams are back at the Coli to take on the Saints.
The Drew Brees led Saints are heading into this week on an eight game win streak, getting their last win in dramatic come from behind fashion against a very good Redskins team. The Saints were down 15 points with less than three minutes to go when their offense kicked into gear, scoring two touchdowns and sending the game into overtime with a two point conversion. The Saints now sit atop the NFC South standings with a record of 8-2. Drew Brees has been as steady a QB as any over the course of his career, but with the added help of young talent around him, the Saints rank second in passing yards, third in rushing yards and average 30.2 points per game.
Since their 2009 super bowl victory, the Saints’ achilles heel has been their defense. So far in 2017, New Orleans ranks in the top 10 in all categories except rush defense, which has made this already dangerous team seemingly ready to make a deep run into the playoffs. Key players to watch: Drew Brees, ranks 3rd in passing yards with 2,783. Mark Ingram, ranks 4th in rushing with 806 yards, Michael Thomas, ranks 7th among WR with 753 yards and rookie RB Alvin Kamara has established himself as possibly the best offensive rookie so far this year.
Like I said, the Rams defense suffered crucial injuries to top defensive backs Nickell Robey-Coleman and Kayvon Webster. We will have to wait and see how serious these injuries are because without these two corners, the Rams may have a difficult time stopping Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., Coby Fleener and Alvin Kamara this week. The one weakness the Saints have shown thus far is their inability to stop the run, so it’s going to be very important to McVay to get Gurley going early and often in order to keep the Saints offense off the field as much as possible, which can hopefully wear down this improved New Orleans defense.
Game Prediction
Yup, you guessed it I am giving the Rams the WIN. It might be another tough week against the Saints, especially with the injuries but I think the guys can pull it out!
[NFL-Rams-footer]Photo Credits:
- Los Angeles Rams on Wikimedia Commons by SportsLogos.net
- Jared Goff on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Todd Gurley on flickr by Christina VanMeter
- Drew Brees on flickr by Brook Ward
- Redskins on Wikimedia by sportslogos.net
- Mark Ingram on Flickr by Keith Allison
