4 keys to NFC championship game for Rams vs Saints...

4 keys to NFC championship game for Rams against Saints

Andrew Ortenberg

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Things didn’t go right for the Los Angeles Rams the first time they traveled to New Orleans this season. They gave up 45 points and ended up losing by 10 to the Saints, who they’ll play this Sunday in the NFC championship game for a spot in the Super Bowl. They’ll need to execute much better this time around, and these are their four keys to victory:

1. Establish the run

The Rams have a reputation of being a pass-heavy team with an explosive downfield passing game. But while they can be electric and very efficient through the air, the offense still runs through the ground game. After Jared Goff struggled coming out of the bye, Sean McVay began installing even more run-heavy game plans, and it worked wonders for the offense.

Goff settled down when he wasn’t asked to do too much, and hasn’t thrown an interception in his last three games after throwing six in the three games coming out of the bye. The Rams have a new two-headed monster in the backfield with C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley, and they’ll need both to get going here to take some pressure off Goff, who will be making his first career road playoff start. The Saints have an elite run defense, but things will be a bit easier for the Rams with run stuffing defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins set to miss the game for New Orleans.


2. Don’t leave Marcus Peters alone

Anyone who watched a Rams game this year saw what happened when Peters was asked to stay in front of a top receiver by himself. Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said he didn’t put Peters in a good position during the Week 9 game against the Saints when they targeted him frequently, and he’ll need to get him more help here.

The Rams have Aqib Talib back for this matchup, which should take a lot of the load off Peters. Phillips will need to switch things up to avoid letting the Saints get the matchups that they want, and it’s possible we could see Talib traveling with Michael Thomas here. If he does, Phillips will need to make sure there’s plenty of help over the top for Ted Ginn and the Saints’ other deep threats.

3. Strong defensive line play

The play of the defensive line here might be even more important than the secondary. Big-name acquisitions like Dante Fowler Jr. and Ndamukong Suh were mostly a disappointment this season, but they came alive in the Rams’ playoff win over the Cowboys. McVay said Suh had his best game of the season, and Fowler landed the team’s only sack on Dak Prescott as well as a couple of nice run stops.

The Saints will be throwing the kitchen sink at Aaron Donald to try to slow him down, and Fowler and Suh will need to win their one on ones here. They need to shutdown Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara on the ground, and if they can generate any pressure on Drew Brees as well it would be a nice bonus.


4. Jared Goff can’t get rattled

While Goff has played in some big games already, this is by far the biggest stage of his career. He’s still only 24, and will be making his first-ever road playoff start. The crowd will be deafening, and Goff will have to play beyond his years here and stay composed.

While the offensive line will be doing their best, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to keep Goff as clean as they did against the Cowboys. The intense crowd noise will impact the communication on the line and the silent snap count will allow Saints pass-rushers to get a better jump on the play, so Goff will likely face a lot more pressure than he has the past few weeks.

Goff’s mechanics and decision making have broken down frequently under pressure this year, and he needs to do a better job handling it here. One single mistake could be the difference in what should be a very close game, and Goff will need to have the poise of a longtime veteran.