Rams Week 18 report card: Grading every position vs. 49ers

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams Week 18 report card: Grading every position vs. 49ers


Cameron DaSilva
January 11, 2022 11:27 am PT

The regular season didn’t end on a high note for the Rams as they lost to the 49ers in overtime on Sunday, their first loss since Week 12 against the Packers. What made the defeat even worse was that the Rams led 17-0 in the first half and 24-17 with less than two minutes to go.

But the 49ers mounted an incredible comeback, taking advantage of the Rams’ mistakes and deficiencies in the trenches. There were still a few position groups that performed relatively well, but on the whole, this report card leaves a lot to be desired.


Here’s the final regular-season report card for the Rams.

Quarterback: B
It would be unfair to pin this loss on Matthew Stafford. He didn’t light it up against the 49ers, but he still threw three touchdown passes and made several big plays on third down, which is why the Rams were an impressive 10-for-17 on that critical down. His first interception came on a deep shot on third-and-long, effectively serving as a punt, but his pick in overtime was a poorly underthrown ball on first down – which is where criticism is fair.


Running back: D
Sony Michel was highly ineffective against the 49ers’ vaunted front, finding very little room to run. He gained just 43 yards on 21 carries, and while that’s not completely his fault, he didn’t do much to create on his own. The same goes for Cam Akers, who had just five carries for 3 yards and 10 yards on three catches. Again, they shouldn’t get all of the blame, but there were tackles Michel could’ve broken.


Wide receiver: B+
When Stafford targeted Cooper Kupp, he had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against the 49ers. When he threw to Odell Beckham Jr., Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek, his combined passer rating was 16.3. Kupp accounted for more than half of Stafford’s 238 yards, gaining 118 yards on seven catches (seven targets) with one touchdown. The Rams need Jefferson and Beckham to be better in the playoffs because there seems to be a lack of chemistry with their quarterback lately.


Tight end: A
Tyler Higbee is peaking at the right time, catching six passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers. His second touchdown grab was a difficult leaping catch in the end zone, while his first was a perfectly sold play fake where he acted like he was blocking before slipping out wide open.


Offensive line: F
There’s absolutely no doubt that this was the worst performance of the season by the Rams’ offensive line. They allowed five sacks and 22 total pressures to the 49ers, 15 of which were given up by the guards, David Edwards and Austin Corbett. Andrew Whitworth was steady as always, but the offensive line as a whole really struggled to block San Francisco’s front seven.


Defensive line: D
Aaron Donald, A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines combined to pressure Jimmy Garoppolo four times, which is fewer than the number of tackles they missed (7). It was a horrendous day for the defensive line, which is rare to say about this unit. Donald couldn’t beat his double teams with Garoppolo getting the ball out so quickly, and though Robinson made a couple of impactful plays (he had a strip-sack), the offensive line as a whole dod nothing to slow down the 49ers’ ground game.


Inside linebacker: D
Teams have identified the weak link on the Rams’ defense and are targeting their inside linebackers. The 49ers put Troy Reeder in the spotlight with their running game and pre-snap motion, which left the linebacker guessing as to where Elijah Mitchell or JaMycal Hasty were going to run. Travin Howard was only slightly better, but the two missed three tackles together and were out of position constantly.


Outside linebacker: C
Leonard Floyd recorded a season-low 31.8 grade from PFF this week, his worst performance of the year. He pressured the quarterback once and made as many tackles (1) as he missed (1), struggling as a run defender on the edge. Von Miller was the Rams’ most effective pass rusher and run defender, but he couldn’t do it alone – and he also missed a tackle himself, too.


Cornerback: C+
When Jimmy Garoppolo throws for 316 yards against you, it’s a bad day for the secondary. Jalen Ramsey was the lone bright spot at corner and even he had his lapses in coverage – like jumping to the flat on Deebo Samuel’s late 43-yard catch. Dont’e Deayon and David Long Jr. were both poor in coverage, and Darious Williams wasn’t much better, either. The Rams shouldn’t have had as much trouble as they did with Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk.


Safety: C
Taylor Rapp stepped up as a tackler and didn’t miss a single attempt, but he could’ve been much better in coverage. Nick Scott continues to have his trouble in coverage and as a tackler, missing three times and earning only a 42.1 run defense grade. Jordan Fuller wasn’t having a bad game before he got hurt but he can’t be the Rams’ only reliable tackler at safety, which is supposed to be the last line of defense.


Special teams: B
Matt Gay made his only field goal attempt from 43 yards, capping off a great season. Johnny Hekker seems to be punting the ball better as of late, averaging 49.5 yards per punt and pinning two of his four kicks inside the 20.

Brandon Powell has been a real game-changer as a returner, breaking off a 31-yard punt return down the right sideline. Special teams mistakes are starting to decrease, which is a good sign entering the playoffs.