Rams at Colts: 7 things to know for Week 2 matchup

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Rams at Colts: 7 things to know for Week 2 matchup


Cameron DaSilva
September 15, 2021 10:15 am PT
The Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts come into their Week 2 meeting after leaving the season opener with very different results. The Rams won easily against the Bears, 34-14, while the Colts lost at home to the Seahawks, 28-16.

The Rams will try to make it 2-0 with a win over the Colts on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, though they shouldn’t expect Indianapolis to be an easy out in that building.


Here are seven things to know for this Week 2 matchup between Los Angeles and the Colts.

1
Sean McVay’s first career win came vs. Colts
It was four years ago that McVay took the field for his first regular-season game as an NFL head coach, with his Rams taking on the Colts at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2017. There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the then-31-year-old head coach, especially with the Rams undergoing a roster overhaul that offseason.

He and the Rams silenced all doubters with a 46-9 win over the Colts, the first victory of McVay’s career. He hasn’t faced the Colts since, but he’d surely like to make it 2-0 against Indianapolis with a win on Sunday.


2
Colts lead all-time series 23-20-3
The Rams and Colts have squared off 46 times before, all of which came in the regular season, of course. Although the Rams have won six of the last nine games, the Colts own the all-time series advantage, 23-20-3. Considering they only meet once every four years under the current divisional structure, they’ve only played six times since 1995 and only eight times since the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis.

In the last two meetings, the Rams won 46-9 and 38-8. But in 2009, the Colts beat St. Louis 42-6. So none of the last three games between these two teams has been decided by fewer than 30 points.


3
Rams are 11-5 against the AFC under McVay
The Rams were almost unstoppable against the AFC under McVay from 2017-2019, winning their first 10 games against the conference with McVay at the helm. However, they’ve since lost five of their last six since November 2019, falling to the Steelers, Ravens, Bills, Dolphins and Jets.

They did beat the Patriots last season, 24-3 at home, but the AFC has had McVay and the Rams’ number in the last six games.


4
No defensive starter from last game vs. Colts is still with Rams
To say the Rams look very different than the last time they faced the Colts would be an understatement. Overall, there are only four starters from that game who are still with Los Angeles: Robert Woods, Tyler Higbee, Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein. Gone are Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Sammy Watkins, Gerald Everett and Rodger Saffold, among others. And Cooper Kupp wasn’t a starter in his NFL debut.

There isn’t a single defensive starter from that game who is still with the Rams, either. Micheal Brockers was traded this offseason, and the other 10 starters have all been gone for at least two years. Aaron Donald missed that game as a result of his contract holdout, too. The defense looks much better now than it did four years ago, with Donald and Jalen Ramsey leading the way.

5
Matthew Stafford averages 330 yards per game vs. Colts
Stafford has only faced the Colts three times in his career, but he played relatively well in all of those games. He threw for at least 313 yards and two touchdowns each time, with a combined passer rating of 102.8, the fourth-highest passer rating against any team he’s played against in his career.

In his most recent game last season, he threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception and a fumble lost. The Lions lost that game 41-21 despite Stafford’s impressive numbers.

6
Colts had lowest tackling grade, second-lowest coverage grade in Week 1
Pro Football Focus grades every team each week, going category by category to give an idea of how the 32 teams performed in various areas. The Colts really struggled with tackling and coverage against the Seahawks in their 28-16 loss. They had the lowest tackling grade (31.5) and second-lowest coverage grade (44.8) in the NFL during Week 1, which is good news for the Rams.

Indianapolis’ defense has typically been good in recent years but Russell Wilson and the Seahawks carved it up. Wilson threw four touchdown passes and had 254 yards on just 18-for-23 passing, making it look easy in the opener.

7
Robert Irsay traded Rams to Carroll Rosenbloom for the Colts in 1972
fascinating transaction to point out because of its rarity. Back in 1972, Irsay bought the Rams and transferred his ownership in the team to Rosenbloom, who owned the Colts.

It was an unprecedented franchise-for-franchise trade, which we never see happen today. It would be like Stan Kroenke trading the Rams and cash to Robert Kraft for the Patriots. That just wouldn’t happen nowadays. Both teams have been successful since then, though the Rams are now worth $4.8 billion (4th in NFL) and the Colts are worth $3.25 billion (19th).

On this day in 1972, Robert Irsay bought the Rams and transferred ownership of the club to Carroll Rosenbloom in exchange for the Colts. Players and coaches were unaffected and their affiliations remained the same. The trade saved Rosenbloom $4.4 million in capital gains taxes.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) July 13, 2020