Five Takeaways: Preseason Rams vs. Chiefs

Five Takeaways: Preseason vs. Chiefs

by Myles Simmons

[www.therams.com]

The Rams have stared their first preseason back in Los Angeles with two wins, the latest of which came as a 21-20 victory over Kansas City.

But as is the case with all exhibition matchups, the final score rarely tells the whole story. With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Preseason Week 2.

1) Gurley’s just fine

Running back Todd Gurley played in his first ever preseason game and looked in midseason form on his one and only drive.

Gurley took four handoffs for 20 yards on the Rams’ first offensive possession. He started the series with a three-yard carry. After a 20-yard pass play from quarterback Case Keenum to wide receiver Kenny Britt and a 41-yard defensive pass interference penalty, Gurley did the rest. A carry from the Kansas City 17 went six yards. Then another went eight. And the Georgia product made it into the end zone with a final three-yard run.

“You can see Todd’s value,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “I’m glad we got Todd in for the series.”

Keenum jokingly asked “Who?” when a reporter brought up the second-year running back in his press conference. But the quarterback knows and appreciates what Gurley is capable of on the field.

“It’s always nice to have Todd out there, as you can see,” Keenum said. “It was fun. He played really well. He ran the ball well.”

It seems safe to say Gurley’s first foray into preseason football was a success.

2) Keenum sharp again

Last week, Keenum completed six of his seven passes for 58 yards in a pair of drives. It was more of the same against the Chiefs on Saturday night, as Keenum finished four of five passing for 53 yards and a touchdown.

The quarterback showed good awareness, tossing a deep ball up to Britt in a one-on-one situation. While the pass was not completed, it did draw a defensive pass interference penalty from safety Ron Parker that advanced that ball into the red zone. Those are the kinds of plays Keenum showed he could do during his starting stint for the Rams last year.

And it’s part of why the club appears comfortable with him holding down the starting quarterback role until Jared Goff is ready.

The offense has been particularly efficient with Keenum under center in the first two games. His four drives have resulted in three touchdowns.

“I think we’re doing a good job staying on the same page,” Keenum said. “The operation between plays is good, communication within it, making sure that we are in the right play — we’re lined up right, we’re getting snaps on time. And then the guys are making plays.”


3) Middling performance from Goff

The Rams’ No. 1 overall pick started slow but finished strong in his second preseason game.

The good: On Goff’s best drive, he went three-of-three passing for 34 yards and a touchdown — a 10-yard pass to running back Malcolm Brown out of the backfield. Also on that drive, Goff hit wide receiver Brian Quick on a slant that went for 17 yards and tight end Justice Cunningham for a seven-yard pass over the middle.

The not as good: Goff fumbled in each of his first two possessions with the first-team offensive line, the first of which Kansas City recovered deep in Los Angeles territory. Goff was attempting to move up in the pocket when he tripped over left guard Cody Wichmann and put the ball on the ground. The quarterback’s second fumble came as he escaped the pocket and was attempting to throw the ball away when he was hit.

“I think that’s what the preseason’s for, and that’s what these reps are for,” Goff said, “for myself to make mistakes that I hopefully won’t make again and can learn from.”

What’s encouraging is as Goff continued to take snaps, he clearly became more comfortable as the game went on, finishing 8-of-12 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback was initially slated to only play into the third quarter, but difficulty stopping the Chiefs’ offense kept the Rams’ own offensive possessions to a minimum. Because of that, Fisher elected to keep Goff in for the duration.

“Game reps were vital today, and I was happy they left me in there,” Goff said. “Obviously, I want to play as much as I can and get as many reps under my belt as I can, and learn as quickly as I can. I was happy they left me in there and gave me reps.”

We’ll see if the benefits of in-game experience will carry over the next time Goff takes the field.

4) Cunningham, Brown providing key depth

Running backs Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown have done well in their first two preseason games, showing how they can be key depth pieces behind Gurley.

Cunningham registered four carries for 38 yards on Los Angeles’ second offensive possession of the game — his only series on Saturday — including a 19-yard burst through the middle. Then Brown came in to complete that drive with eight yards on two carries.


But Brown wasn’t nearly done. He played for much of the second half, recording a 28-yard run to put L.A. in scoring position before making his 10-yard touchdown catch from Goff. He made a nice adjustment on the ball in the air, as the pass came in a little hot from the rookie QB.

“Jared put it where nobody else can get it — put it on my back shoulder,” Brown said. “I had to make the play. I had to finish it off.”

In all, Brown had 68 yards rushing and two receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown.

Through two preseason games, Brown now leads the Rams with 134 yards rushing.

“Just trusting in everything — what the coaches are teaching me. And I’m trusting in the offensive line,” Brown said of what’s led to his success. “Just trust and just having confidence that I can get the job done.”

While Gurley is clearly entrenched as the Rams’ starter, knowing there are two capable backs behind him could help Los Angeles stay away from over-taxing the second-year RB. It could also bring up some more creative situations and formations for the Rams’ offense.

5) Extra points

— The Rams committed nine penalties in Saturday’s game, which is seven more than they had last week against the Cowboys. Five of those nine were either neutral-zone infractions or offsides — the kind of pre-snap penalties that can easily be prevented.

Plus, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner was ejected along with Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin after a scuffle.

“Last week I was talking about how proud I was about the penalty numbers and we had to penalties and we need to keep that going,” Fisher said. “And all of a sudden today it breaks out and we even got a player ejected, which should never happen.

“It’s a learning experience,” Fisher continued, “As I mentioned, we’d like to have them tonight rather than Week 3 or 4 of the regular season. So they have to learn from it.”

— Wide receiver Bradley Marquez left the game in the third quarter after suffering an ankle injury on a reception. Fisher said the Rams will have to do more tests in order to accurately determine Marquez’s prognosis.

“We will have to do some studies and some MRIs — things like that here in the next couple of days and have more information,” Fisher said.

Defensive lineman Ethan Westrbrooks went down after a penalized chop block, but Fisher indicated he should be OK going forward.