Rams game 4 report card: Grading every position vs Vikings...

Rams Week 4 report card: Grading every position vs. Vikings

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Los Angeles Rams remained undefeated this season with a Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Jared Goff was obviously the star of the show, throwing for 465 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Rams to victory.

Here’s how we broke down each position group against Minnesota, handing them all a grade for their performance.


Quarterback

Last week, we wrote that Week 3 “may have been Goff’s best game in the NFL.” As it turns out, we were wrong. We just didn’t know it yet. Thursday night against the Vikings was unequivocally Goff’s best performance as a pro, casually throwing for 465 yards and five touchdowns with a perfect passer rating. He made perfect throws downfield with all five of his touchdowns coming on passes 10-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He was phenomenal against the Vikings, who have a very strong defense to begin with.

Grade: A+

Running back

Somewhat lost in Goff’s historic performance was the game that Todd Gurley had. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year quietly had 156 total yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He made big plays on third down and essentially clinched the game with a clutch run on the Rams’ final drive to gain a first down. Malcolm Brown didn’t have a single carry in the game, so it was all Gurley all the time. He’s been just as good this season as he was in 2017, putting himself on pace to surpass 2,100 yards from scrimmage.

Grade: A

Wide receiver

Just as they were in Week 3, the Rams’ star wide receivers were outstanding on Thursday night. The trio of Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp combined to catch 21 of 24 targets for 379 yards and four touchdowns. They didn’t have any drops, ran crisp routes and proved to be unstoppable for even the Vikings’ strong secondary. Josh Reynolds, the team’s No. 4 receiver, only played a pair of snaps and didn’t catch his lone target, which came on a Johnny Hekker pass.

Grade: A+

Tight end

Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett were targeted just twice with the lone completed pass going to Everett for 13 yards. Higbee left for a little while with a knee injury, but neither player was impactful in this one. One of the biggest plays of the game came when there were three tight ends on the field, though, as it gave Woods a mismatch with Anthony Barr, who he beat for a touchdown.

Grade: C-

Offensive line

The Vikings boast a terrifying defensive line, even without Everson Griffen on the field. That’s what makes Thursday’s performance all the more impressive as the offensive line allowed just two quarterback hits and one sack. Goff was barely touched as Andrew Whitworth locked down Danielle Hunter (except for one play), while the interior blockers held up well against Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson. The running lanes were there, too, giving Gurley big holes to run through.

Grade: A


Defensive line

Aaron Donald hit Kirk Cousins four times and bagged his first two sacks of the season, while Ndamukong Suh added a sack of his own and two additional hits on Kirk Cousins. Suh and Donald combined for three tackles for loss, as well, proving to be too much for the Vikings’ shaky offensive line. Dalvin Cook was completely shut down, too, rushing 10 times for 20 yards. Roc Thomas and Latavius Murray didn’t have any success, either, totaling 6 yards on three carries.

Grade: A

Inside linebacker

This might’ve been Ramik Wilson’s best game as a Ram, showing why Los Angeles went after him this offseason. He made tackles after ranging to the sideline, had two tackles for loss and finished with seven total stops. Cory Littleton was even better, making nine tackles (one for a loss) and breaking up two passes. If you categorize Marqui Christian as a linebacker – since he’s somewhat of a hybrid for the Rams – the performance looks even better. He nearly had an interception and made six tackles.

Grade: A-

Outside linebacker

Another week, another shaky performance by the Rams’ edge rushers. Matt Longacre hardly made an impact, while Samson Ebukam didn’t do enough as a starter. The lone bright spot was John Franklin-Myers, who had a game-clinching strip-sack in the fourth quarter. He flashed more than just that one play, too, pressuring Cousins on several occasions. He’s still developing as an edge rusher, but he should be a starter by season’s end.

Grade: B-

Cornerback

The Rams’ first game without Aqib Talib was a rough one. Sam Shields got the start for Talib, and while he made four tackles and broke up one pass on a nice recovery play, but Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs definitely got the better of him. Marcus Peters put together a gutsy performance on short rest, but he gave up a touchdown pass in coverage and was beat more often than we’re accustomed to seeing.

Grade: C+

Safety

John Johnson has gotten better each week and once again led the team with 11 tackles, while also breaking up two passes. Lamarcus Joyner, unfortunately, has yet to hit his stride. We didn’t hear his name called much on Thursday night, but he didn’t provide much help to the cornerbacks in the middle of the field. He has to improve if he wants that big payday he’s seeking this offseason.

Grade: C+

Special teams

Sam Ficken missed another field goal, this time a 28-yarder that would’ve given the Rams a 13-point lead. He remained perfect on his extra point tries, but Ficken has been shaky thus far and Sean McVay won’t commit to him moving forward. There weren’t any impactful plays in the return game, either, and the Rams failed a fake punt on a pass from Hekker to Reynolds.

Grade: D