Rams Week 6 report card: Grading every position vs. Giants

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Rams Week 6 report card: Grading every position vs. Giants


Cameron DaSilva
October 19, 2021 1:44 pm PT


Even though Sean McVay was frustrated with the way the Rams offense started Sunday’s game against the Giants, the team as a whole performed well in their 38-11 win. They forced four turnovers, held New York to 261 total yards and got some quality play from the special teams unit, building on what was a solid performance in Week 5, too.

We graded every position group for the Rams in Week 6, as we do after each game, and the defense received some high marks, as did the offensive line.

Quarterback: A-
Matthew Stafford has yet to put together a truly poor performance this season. Yes, he threw his fourth interception and now has one in each of his last three games, but his pick on Sunday was the result of him being aggressive before halftime – and the ball hit Cooper Kupp’s hands before being snagged by Xavier McKinney.

Stafford had just six incompletions compared to four touchdown passes, with his season-low 251 yards primarily being the result of a lack of attempts and shorter fields to work with thanks to the defense’s four takeaways.


Running back: B+
Very quietly, Darrell Henderson has had a productive season. He’s only rushed for fewer than 70 yards once and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Against the Giants, he rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown, and also caught two passes for 29 yards with another score.

Sony Michel was effective, too, rushing for 42 yards on just nine carries. The backfield committee is working just as the Rams planned, with Michel taking a load off of Henderson when he needs a rest. It wasn’t a spectacular performance from the running backs, but it was a productive one.


Wide receiver: B+
This was once again the Cooper Kupp show. He was targeted 12 times out of Stafford’s 28 passes, catching nine balls for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Woods added 31 yards on two catches, scoring an easy touchdown over the middle, while Van Jefferson caught three of his four targets for just 19 yards.

Kupp continues to carry this group, outside of Woods’ Week 5 breakout, proving to be one of the best wide receivers in football this season.


Tight end: B
Tyler Higbee still hasn’t matched his 68-yard output from Week 1 but he did catch five passes for the third time this year. They only went for a total of 36 yards and he likely would’ve scored a touchdown if he could’ve kept his footing near the goal line, but it was a good performance from the starting tight end, especially as a blocker.

Johnny Mundt only played three snaps before getting hurt and Jacob Harris didn’t get a target in his limited role.


Offensive line: A-
Outside of two sacks allowed on third down, the offensive line was great against the Giants. Stafford was pressured just six times and the two sacks were the only two hits he took all afternoon, getting plenty of time in the pocket to go through his reads.

They could’ve done a better job in the running game, with only Austin Corbett earning a run-block grade over 70.0 from Pro Football Focus, but it was a good day all around for the offensive line.


Defensive line: A
As a team, the Rams pressured Daniel Jones a whopping 26 times. Aaron Donald, Sebastian Joseph Day, Jonah Williams, A’Shawn Robinson and Michael Hoecht combined for nine of those, with four coming from Donald alone. The defensive line was disruptive all afternoon and didn’t give up much on the ground outside of a physical 14-yard run by Devontae Booker, continuing to play at a high level.

With a player like Donald on the defensive line, this position group is going to earn a positive grade more weeks than not.


Inside linebacker: C+
The inside linebacker group is still a weakness on defense. Kenny Young, Troy Reeder, Travin Howard and Ernest Jones allowed a total of seven catches on eight targets for 61 yards, struggling as a unit in coverage. Jones had a missed tackle in his limited action, too, in what was an overall subpar performance from the rookie.

Fortunately, it didn’t cost the Rams at all, but they need better play from their linebackers moving forward.


Outside linebacker: A
Terrell Lewis, Leonard Floyd and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo combined for 11 total pressures, which is nearly twice as many as the Giants had as a team. Floyd had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, Lewis and Okoronkwo had one sack each, and Okoronkwo’s takedown of Jones led to a fumble recovery by Floyd.

This pass-rush group is really coming together right now, an encouraging sign after the crushing loss of Justin Hollins to a pectoral injury. The Giants’ tackles were overmatched all afternoon.


Cornerback: B+
There was a lot of good and some bad when it came to the cornerbacks in Week 6. Jalen Ramsey and Dont’e Deayon played well, and David Long Jr. didn’t allow a catch on 19 coverage snaps, but Robert Rochell had some trouble early on. He allowed a 17-yard catch by Kadarius Toney on third-and-14, then missed a tackle on Toney a few plays later, which resulted in a 16-yard gain.

Rochell settled in and played better as the game went on, but it was a slow start for the rookie corner.


Safety: A
This was by far the best game from the Rams’ safeties. Taylor Rapp had two interceptions, one other pass breakup and four total tackles, also landing a hit on Jones with a perfectly timed blitz. Jordan Fuller led the team with 11 tackles, nine of which were solo stops. Nick Scott made two tackles, too, with all three safeties earning PFF grades of at least 63.5 – led by Rapp’s 90.5 grade.


Special teams: B+
Johnny Hekker did a great job pinning the Giants deep, downing all four of his punts inside the 20 for a total of 160 yards. Tutu Atwell had a nice 17-yard return and Matt Gay was a perfect 6-for-6 on his total kicks.

It would’ve been nice if Hekker’s fake punt held up, which would’ve improved this grade a bit, and the Rams’ three special teams penalties were less than ideal. Otherwise, a good showing from this group.