Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers in win vs. Vikings

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers in win vs. Vikings


Cameron DaSilva
December 27, 2021 7:12 am PT

For the third week in a row, the Los Angeles Rams were tested by injuries and COVID-19 issues. And for the third straight week, their backups rose to the occasion and played well in tough spots.

Los Angeles beat the Vikings 30-23 on the road Sunday with its fourth-string left tackle and backup center. The Rams led the entire time and overcame three interceptions by Matthew Stafford, looking every bit like legitimate contenders in the NFC.


Here’s how Pro Football Focus graded the team, highlighting the best and worst performers on each side of the ball.

Top 3 offense
LT Alaric Jackson: 81.3
RT Rob Havenstein: 80.6
WR Cooper Kupp: 79.7
No one ever expected to see Jackson finish with the highest offensive grade in any game this season, but here we are. He replaced David Edwards at left tackle after Edwards moved to guard when Brian Allen went down and played extremely well. He allowed two pressures and one hit but didn’t give up a hit on Stafford and earned the highest run-blocking grade of any Rams player.

Havenstein was equally good, allowing zero pressures and finishing with a run-blocking grade of 75.8. Getting him back from COVID-19 reserve was huge for the offensive line.

Kupp was as good as always, catching 10 passes for 109 yards, though he did fail to get into the end zone – which is rare for him this season.


Top 3 defense
DT Aaron Donald: 89.4
DE A’Shawn Robinson: 77.9
LB Ernest Jones: 75.9
Donald was the highest-graded defender (and player) on the Rams this week. What else is new? He had seven total pressures with one sack and three tackles for a loss, but what’s most incredible is that this was just his eighth-best grade of the season. That shows how great he’s been all year.

Robinson stepped up with Greg Gaines going down with a hand injury. He made two stops and also had two pressures, putting together one of his better performances of the season.

Jones played relatively well in his 11 snaps before getting hurt, making one stop and two total tackles. He did allow three catches for 21 yards, though.


Bottom 3 offense
WR Van Jefferson: 50.9
LG/C Coleman Shelton: 50.0
QB Matthew Stafford: 42.8
Stafford has had some poor performances this season, but this was by far his worst. He threw three picks and had four total turnover-worthy plays, making zero big-time throws and had an adjusted accuracy rate of 61.1%, per PFF. The Rams were fortunate to win this game in spite of his mistakes.

Shelton was in a tough spot, moving from left guard to center after just 18 snaps. He didn’t have the best game, allowing two pressures and only recording a 49.6 run-blocking grade, but he also wasn’t a liability by any means.

Jefferson just wasn’t much of a factor in this one. He was targeted six times but caught only one pass for 6 yards.

Bottom 3 defense
S Nick Scott: 42.4
S Jordan Fuller: 40.0
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo: 37.9
The safeties struggled in this one, though Taylor Rapp didn’t have that bad of a game. Scott allowed two catches for 24 yards in coverage and made three total tackles in his 18 snaps played.

Fuller missed one tackle and gave up 54 yards on three catches in coverage, recording his lowest grade of the season by a wide margin.

Okoronkwo only played 10 snaps in the win and he didn’t record one pressure or tackle, but he did miss a tackle.

Other notables
TE Tyler Higbee: 74.3
CB Jalen Ramsey: 74.1
LB Travin Howard: 72.1
WR Odell Beckham Jr.: 68.0
RB Sony Michel: 62.1
CB Darious Williams: 43.4
Higbee was huge in the running game as a blocker, earning a grade of 74.8 in that department. He also caught five passes for 41 yards, holding onto a difficult third-down grab that was thrown behind him.

Ramsey was tasked with covering Justin Jefferson often in this game, but he held up well. He allowed five total catches on seven targets, which only went for 35 yards with a long of 9 yards. He made two stops and seven tackles, too.

Howard played really well in place of Jones, making four tackles and allowing just one catch in coverage. He also made two stops, broke up two passes and pulled in his first career interception.

Beckham should’ve had a much better game than he did. Stafford missed him a couple of times when Beckham was open, coming up short on those throws. But he still caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Despite rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown, Michel still only recorded a grade of 62.1, his fourth-lowest of the season. That was in part because of his drop, lowering his receiving grade to 34.7.

Williams really struggled in this one, allowing four catches for 81 yards on six targets, including a touchdown to K.J. Osborn. He did help create the interception for Howard in the end zone, but it was a poor performance overall that included two missed tackles.