3 takeaways from Rams’ Week 9 loss to Saints...

3 takeaways from the Rams' Week 9 loss to the Saints

Andrew Ortenberg

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Los Angeles Rams are no longer undefeated. They lost their first game of the season Sunday in a shootout to the Saints. New Orleans dominated early on, but the Rams came storming back in the second half and tied the game with 21 unanswered points.

Despite the loss, not everything was bad and there were some positives. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the game:


1. The Rams need to do something in the secondary

While Aqib Talib could still make a late-season comeback, he won’t be back for a while at the very least. After Sunday’s game, there is simply no denying that the Rams need to do something about the secondary. The pass defense has been atrocious for weeks now, and is one of the worst units in the league.

Marcus Peters had another terrible game, routinely getting burned yet again, and the coaching staff needs to do something. It’s unclear if he’d be much of an upgrade, but there can’t be any harm in giving Sam Shields more run on defense at this point.

The Rams’ offense can keep up with anyone, but it’s going to be hard to beat elite offenses like New Orleans’ if they can’t prevent big plays over the top. There’s no reason to think Wade Phillips won’t be able to get it all fixed, but it’s a major concern at this point.


2. The team has a ton of heart

The Rams might be the only team in the league that can get down 21 points in the first half and not bat an eye. It’s a testament to the culture Sean McVay has instilled in this locker room in such a short amount of time, that there was never a doubt the team would battle back.

They never looked defeated and were able to score 21 unanswered points on the road in one of the toughest places to play in the entire NFL. The team won’t be phased by adversity, which is a quality not too many teams have these days.

While the final result wasn’t what Rams fans were hoping for, they should take solace in knowing that no deficit is too big for this team to overcome.

3. The pass rush still needs to be better

Les Snead’s aggressive move to acquire Dante Fowler Jr. at the trade deadline was a much-needed step in the right direction, but the pass rush needs to be better. The only time Drew Brees ever struggles is when he’s under pressure, and the Rams failed to generate any rush for most of the game.

In our breakdown of the Saints, we detailed how Brees often struggles with pressure right up the middle from the interior defensive line, but the Rams weren’t able to get enough of it. Brees wasn’t sacked all game, and for the most part, had plenty of time to throw. While the shortcomings of the secondary are blatant, even a very good secondary wouldn’t be able to hold up when a quarterback like Brees has that much time to throw.

Fowler showed up once or twice, and Aaron Donald was a game-wrecker in the running game, but the Rams simply need to have a better pass-rush. The Saints do have a very good offensive line, so it’s probably wise to wait at least another week to see what kind of impact Fowler can have.