Studs and duds from Rams win over Chiefs...

Studs and duds from Rams' narrow Week 11 win over Chiefs

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

There was a lot to like about the Los Angeles Rams’ 54-51 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, moving their record to 10-1 – the best in football. They got great performances from Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and a bunch of other players, but there were also some disappointing performances.

Here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ Week 11 win.

Studs

Samson Ebukam

Ebukam made a name for himself in primetime with a historic performance. He had one sack, a fumble recovery, an interception and two touchdowns, the first player ever to check off all those boxes. After going quiet for most of the season, Ebukam broke out in a big way against the Chiefs. If he can keep this up opposite Dante Fowler Jr., the Rams will be in good shape.

Aaron Donald

When is Donald not a stud? It’s hard to keep him off this list when he’s the best player in the league. On Monday night, he racked up four tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles, one of which was recovered for a touchdown. He also drew a holding penalty and constantly made his way into Kansas City’s backfield, doing what he always does best.

Jared Goff


Goff wasn’t perfect on Monday night, losing two fumbles and missing a handful of throws to open receivers downfield, but he was still very good. He completed 31 of 49 passes for 413 yards, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 117.1, which was somehow lower than Mahomes’. He surprisingly had trouble hitting Robert Woods, connecting just four times on 11 targets.

Gerald Everett

Welcome to the show, Gerald Everett! He caught the game-winning touchdown, a 40-yarder down the right sideline. Two of his three catches went for touchdowns, contributing in a big way with Cooper Kupp out. Very quietly, he’s come PFF’s third-highest graded tight end in the NFL.

Josh Reynolds

Speaking of breakout performances, Reynolds showed he’s ready for a starting role. He stepped in for Kupp, catching six of eight targets for 80 yards and a touchdown, nearly catching a second if not for his toe barely touching the line. The Rams will be just fine without Kupp, though that’s not to diminish his importance.

Honorable mentions: Johnny Hekker, Lamarcus Joyner

Duds


Rodger Saffold

It’s not Saffold’s fault he had to face Chris Jones most of the game. Jones is one of the best interior defenders in the league and he feasted on the matchup with Saffold. He finished with six tackles, two sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed, which negated a pass interference penalty. Saffold lost this matchup, as tough of a battle as it was.

Todd Gurley

It remains a mystery as to why Gurley only got 15 touches against the Chiefs, which was his lowest total of the season. Was he hurt? Did Sean McVay put him in the doghouse for something (no way)? Did the Rams just feel better about their chances of winning by throwing it 49 times? Who knows, but regardless of what happened, he was a huge disappointment in a game with 14 touchdowns and 105 points.

Sam Shields

The Rams did everything they could to stop Tyreek Hill and nothing worked. Their first plan of attack was to put the speedy Shields on him, which didn’t work at all. Shields had a rough game against any wide receiver, getting beat by everyone from Hill to Chris Conley to Demarcus Robinson.

Ndamukong Suh

Suh was surprisingly quiet in a game where the Chiefs didn’t have their starting center. He had just one tackle assist and while he impacted the game beyond the numbers, he wasn’t his usual disruptive self. He didn’t hit Mahomes once, didn’t have a tackle for loss and wasn’t generating consistent pressure.