Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Packers in Week 15

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Packers in Week 15


Cameron DaSilva
December 20, 2022 8:26 am PT
The Los Angeles Rams fell to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, dropping their record to 4-10 on the year. It was another frustrating performance, particularly on offense, gaining just 156 total yards in the 24-12 loss.

Pro Football Focus graded every player who suited up in the game and we sorted through to find the five best and worst performers on each side of the ball – among players who were out there for at least 10 snaps.


Cam Akers played his best game of the season, while Leonard Floyd’s grade was much lower than expected for a two-sack night.

Top 5 offense
RB Cam Akers: 84.5
OG Oday Aboushi: 75.5
LT Ty Nsekhe: 74.9
TE Tyler Higbee: 68.4
WR Van Jefferson: 63.9
Akers had by far his best game of the year. He rushed for 65 yards and had a team-high 35 yards receiving on three catches, helping the offense in both phases by averaging 6.7 yards per touch in the loss.

Aboushi allowed two pressures and one sack in the game, but he had the second-best run-blocking grade on the team (75.3), which helped his overall grade.

Nsekhe earned a stellar 85.6 pass-blocking grade and was also the highest-graded run blocker (75.7) on the Rams, so he put together a solid game against a tough defensive front.

Higbee scored his first touchdown of the season and finished with a team-high four receptions that totaled 27 yards. He struggled as a pass blocker, though.

Jefferson only caught two passes in the game, but both were on third-and-long, picking up the first downs. His two catches totaled 32 yards.


Top 5 defense
S Taylor Rapp: 81.0
DL Jonah Williams: 72.3
OLB Keir Thomas: 71.9
CB Jalen Ramsey: 70.5
LB Bobby Wagner: 68.5
Rapp hasn’t had a great season, but he played well against the Packers in this one, coming up with a key interception in the first half on an overthrow by Aaron Rodgers. He was second on the team with seven tackles and had a coverage grade of 76.0.

Williams recorded two pressures and made five total tackles, also making two stops. He’s stepped up in the absence of Aaron Donald and A’Shawn Robinson.

Thomas only played 16 snaps and didn’t have a single pressure or tackle, so his PFF grade was surprisingly high despite not making much of an impact.

Ramsey was outstanding in this game, allowing zero receptions on two targets and earning a 93.5 run defense grade, which is the best of his career. His forced fumble in the fourth quarter almost helped the Rams get back in the game, too.

Wagner finished with seven tackles and had one pressure on just four pass-rush snaps, though he did allow five catches for 79 yards in coverage.


Bottom 5 offense
OG Matt Skura: 55.8
WR Austin Trammell: 55.1
WR Tutu Atwell: 52.2
C Coleman Shelton: 43.8
QB Baker Mayfield: 41.7
Skura had the second-best pass-blocking grade on the team (81.7) but he was poor as a run blocker, grading out at just 48.0 in that department.

Trammell played limited snaps and wasn’t targeted a single time in the passing game, so he wasn’t involved except to fill in while Ben Skowronek was a bit hobbled.

Atwell caught just one of his four targets for 10 yards, also dropping a pass over the middle late in the game. He did draw a 40-yard pass interference penalty, but this was a down week for the second-year receiver.

Shelton moved from guard to center when Brian Allen went down and had a team-low 45.8 run-blocking grade with a 62.9 mark in pass protection; he didn’t allow a pressure, though.

Mayfield struggled in this one, partly because his offensive line didn’t do much to protect him. He had two turnover-worthy plays, one of which was an interception, and nearly lost a fumble. A few of his passes were underthrown and behind receivers, showing a lack of accuracy.

Bottom 5 defense
S Russ Yeast: 54.5
S Nick Scott: 52.7
CB Troy Hill: 49.5
NT Greg Gaines: 49.3
DE Earnest Brown IV: 46.8
Yeast was the third safety and didn’t play much on defense, but his facemask penalty on special teams was costly and pretty egregious.

Scott allowed receptions on all three of his targets, totaling 42 yards in coverage. He did lead the team with eight total tackles and didn’t miss a single attempt.

Hill was picked on in coverage, allowing seven catches on eight targets for 50 yards. He also missed two tackles so it was an all-around struggle for him.

Gaines played better than his PFF grade suggests, recording two pressures, a sack and three stops. He also missed one tackle.

Brown had zero pressures and one tackle in 11 snaps played.

Other notables
CB Cobie Durant: 68.0
RT Rob Havenstein: 62.7
WR Ben Skowronek: 56.9
OLB Leonard Floyd: 55.2
Durant graded out relatively well in this one despite giving up three catches for 42 yards on just three targets. He also made three tackles.

Havenstein was only pinned with two pressures allowed, but it seemed like he was getting beat consistently on the edge. He was also called for a holding penalty.

Skowronek didn’t have much of an impact in this one after a career-best game in Week 14, catching just one pass for 3 yards.

Floyd had two sacks and four total pressures to lead the team, yet he was still on the lower end of the grading scale for some reason.