Rams Week 13 report card: Grading every position vs. Jaguars

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams Week 13 report card: Grading every position vs. Jaguars


Cameron DaSilva
December 7, 2021 11:43 am PT

It turns out the 2-9 Jacksonville Jaguars were just what the doctor ordered for the Los Angeles Rams. They breezed by the Jags on Sunday afternoon with a 37-7 win, snapping their three-game losing streak and remaining two games back of the Cardinals in the NFC West.

This week’s report card looks much better than it did after the Rams’ loss to the Packers – and in the two losses before that, too.


The offense got quality contributions out of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Sony Michel, while the inside linebacker play improved considerably thanks to Ernest Jones.

Quarterback: A-
This was exactly the type of performance Matthew Stafford needed. After throwing five interceptions in a span of three games, Stafford didn’t commit a single turnover, threw three touchdown passes and completed 68% of his throws. He completed a couple of deep throws to Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek, too. The one knock on Stafford’s performance was the couple of passes he put behind his receivers, forcing them to adjust – particularly when throwing to his right.


Running back: A-
Sony Michel stepped in as the starter and looked like a player who deserves to maintain that role. He rushed for 121 yards on 24 carries, scoring one touchdown on the ground. His longest run was a 25-yarder at the end of the game and even though he didn’t have a rush of more than 9 yards besides that one, he was consistently picking up 4-6 yards on most of his carries. He does need to improve in pass protection, though.

Wide receiver: B+
Cooper Kupp went off yet again, catching eight passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. He made a couple of difficult catches in key spots on third down and continued to show why he might be the most well-rounded receiver in football – from catching passes to blocking on the edge.

Odell Beckham Jr. scored his second touchdown on a nice grab in the end zone on a fade route, while Van Jefferson also ran a great route to get open for Stafford in the back of the end zone for a touchdown of his own.

Unfortunately, Jefferson dropped an easy third-down pass, as did Ben Skowronek earlier in the game on a deep crosser.

Tight end: B
Tyler Higbee caught five passes for 48 yards and did a nice job as a run blocker, putting together a complete performance at tight end. Brycen Hopkins and Kendall Blanton also got some playing time, helping get the ground game going by sealing off blocks and clearing running lanes for Michel. Blanton did have a fumble and a dropped pass in the end zone but overall, it was a positive performance from the tight ends.

Offensive line: A
The Jaguars only landed two hits on Stafford and they came on the same play when Ford and Smoot split their sack. Other than that, they made two tackles for a loss and barely got near Stafford. That’s a testament to the job the offensive line did, both in protecting Stafford and also creating running lanes for Michel. Rob Havenstein was particularly good in the running game at right tackle, as was Joe Noteboom when he came in as the sixth lineman.

Defensive line: A
Aaron Donald surprisingly earned the highest PFF grade of his career at 95.8 after recording seven pressures and a sack on 34 pass-rush opportunities. He also made four stops and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jalen Ramsey. Greg Gaines made two stops and had four pressures, and A’Shawn Robinson turned in a good performance with a forced fumble and five total tackles.

Inside linebacker: A-
What a difference a week makes. Troy Reeder was a liability in coverage last week against the Packers, so the Rams slid Ernest Jones in as the starter and he flourished. He made nine tackles, broke up one pass and got home for a half-sack, excelling in his new role. Reeder assisted on three tackles and didn’t allow any receptions in coverage, so he bounced back in limited action, too.

Outside linebacker: C+
Von Miller didn’t pressure Trevor Lawrence a single time on 23 pass-rush snaps and only made one tackle – which went for a loss. He also broke up one pass, but as a whole, he didn’t have a huge impact on the game.

Leonard Floyd had a half-sack and three tackles but he missed a tackle again and only pressured Lawrence once. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo didn’t record any pressures on Lawrence, either.

Cornerback: B
Jalen Ramsey made a key breakup on fourth down and allowed just one catch for 12 yards on four targets against his former team. He did have a costly taunting penalty on the Jaguars’ only touchdown drive, standing over the ball carrier after making a tackle.

Dont’e Deayon and Darious Williams were both unspectacular in coverage, allowing six catches on seven targets combined, totaling 61 yards. Williams committed two defensive holding penalties, as well.

Safety: C+
Taylor Rapp’s holding penalty negated what would’ve been a sack by Donald, and in coverage, he gave up 37 yards on three catches. Jordan Fuller was steady and reliable as a tackler, but Nick Scott missed one tackle and struggled a bit in coverage – even if he wasn’t targeted in man coverage.

Special teams: C
There was a mixture of good and bad on special teams this week. The good: Brandon Powell had a 65-yard kickoff return to open the game and Robert Rochell made a spectacular play to down a punt at the 1-yard line. Matt Gay also made all three of his field goal attempts and four PATs.

The bad: Gay kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff and Skowronek ran into the punt returner, resulting in a penalty. It was a step in the right direction, but there are still too many mental mistakes being made.