After a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, it was unclear how the Los Angeles Rams would respond against the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.
The NFL scheduled the Rams’ game for last on Wild Card Weekend as SoFi Stadium played host to the first Monday Night Football playoff game in league history.
That gave the Rams an extra day of prep to get ready for the Cardinals, and that showed on the field as they went out and dominated their division rivals from start to finish, coming away with a 34-11 victory to advance to the next round.
There were a ton of positives to take away from this performance by L.A., so let me just start by slowing down the hype train just a bit.
This is step one
As it says, this was just step one for the Rams. Was it a good win with solid performances in all three phases? Absolutely.
But if you’re truly a Super Bowl contender, then that is what’s expected of you in the first round of the playoffs. And even though the Rams were awesome in this game, they also had some mistakes, particularly on the offensive end.
L.A. had six penalties for 48 yards on the night, including a few that took away big plays and key first downs. And there were also some drops, including one by Cooper Kupp of all people, resulting in the Rams being just 6-for-13 on third down.
So while we can celebrate this win and the fact that the Rams are moving on, we could also recognize that there were some mistakes that need to be cleaned up because L.A. will only be facing the elite of the elite teams from here on out.
And the best part about Sean McVay is that I can guarantee he feels the same way and will get those mistakes cleaned up.
New acquisitions making a difference again
OK, now let me get into the positives because this was a really fun game. This is becoming a weekly part of this column, but the Rams’ in-season acquisitions came through for them once again.
The Rams were criticized heavily for giving up two draft picks for Von Miller, who was in the midst of a subpar season and is getting older.
How about now though? Miller had three tackles for loss and a sack against the Cardinals and after going without a sack in his first four games as a Ram, he has at least one sack in each of the last five games for a total of 6.0 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Miller has a ton of playoff experience and even a Super Bowl MVP in his trophy case, and to this point, he’s proving why he was worth every draft pick and more to the Rams.
The Rams also received criticism for bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. as many thought he would be a locker room cancer. Well not only has he been a great teammate, but he is also an absolutely difference-maker on the field, as we saw against the Cardinals.
Beckham caught a touchdown on a big third-down play to give the Rams their first score in the first quarter. He then had another big catch (finished with four catches for 54 yards) and for good measure, he threw an absolute dime to Cam Akers for a 40-yard gain on a trick play.
The Cardinals’ strategy defensively was clearly to double team Cooper Kupp and let other players beat them, but with Beckham playing as well as he has, the Rams proved that is not a viable strategy against them.
Also, how about a special shoutout to Eric Weddle, who hasn’t played football in two years but came in and played 34% of the snaps and didn’t have a single ball thrown his way. On top of his play on the field, just having Weddle’s mind on the sideline and practice field is a huge bonus for the Rams’ young secondary moving forward.
Credit to Raheem Morris
It was a great performance overall for the Rams, but the dominance really came on the defensive side of the ball. I already talked about Miller’s performance, but it wasn’t just him as Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson and even Troy Reeder were getting after Kyler Murray all night.
I’ve been very critical of Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris all season, so after a game like this, I have to be fair and give him credit.
Morris put together a great game plan, putting pressure on Murray all night, forcing him into some quick throws and also not allowing him to get out of the pocket and beat L.A. with his legs.
Here is what the Cardinals’ first-half drives looked like: Three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, interception for a touchdown, interception, three-and-out.
Just absolute defensive dominance.
Cam Akers changes Rams offense
I mentioned Beckham and Miller as difference-makers earlier, but how about Cam Akers?
I’ve been calling Akers an alien in recent weeks and he showed why as despite being just six months removed from tearing his Achilles, he looked as quick and explosive as ever in his second game back.
Akers played 55% of the offensive snaps and finished with 17 carries for 55 yards in addition to a 40-yard reception. And the craziest part is that his numbers would have been much better if not for a couple of silly holding penalties that brought back big plays.
While Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel did a solid job this season, with the latter continuing to do so (13 carries for 58 yards), neither of them brings what Akers does to the Rams’ offense and that’s big-play and pass-catching ability out of the backfield.
As long as Akers stays healthy, his role should continue to increase moving forward, which is a great sign for the Rams’ offense.
Up next for the Rams…
Alright Rams fans, it’s time to buckle up because the roller coaster ride continues next week when the team travels to take on Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT.
The Rams beat the Buccaneers all the way back in Week 4 at SoFi Stadium, although both teams are much different now as far as both personnel and scheme go so there isn’t a whole lot to take away from it even though it was a dominant performance for L.A.
Beating Brady this time of the year is a completely different task, so the Rams defense will once again have to be ready to go to get pressure on arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.
After losing to Brady in the Super Bowl a few years ago, there’s no doubt that McVay, Donald and everyone else will be ready to get some revenge this time around.
