The Los Angeles Rams understood the tough challenge that awaited them in Week 12. After a disappointing, last second loss to the Miami Dolphins, they traveled to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
Brees, who excels at home with the passing attack, was able to have his way with the Rams’ defense. For the game he collected four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, as the Rams were constantly on their heels.
After entering halftime only down by a touchdown, the Rams were unable to muster any offense or defensive stops in the second half. Although Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes in the first half, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made some keen in-game adjustments.
The defense unit of the Rams was unable to have continued success against Brees and the offensive line. Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald each recorded a sack, as William Hayes also had two tackles and one for a loss.
Hayes was asked about the execution of the game and credited the Saints for having a sound game plan that limited their abilities, via Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
“We just didn’t play gap-sound football. We didn’t really play disciplined, and they did a pretty good job scheming us up to where we couldn’t really get a good rush and get pressure,” defensive end William Hayes said. “They got the best of us. And my goal is to go out there and get ready to compete this week. They did a hell of a job.”
Hayes, who famously doesn’t believe in dinosaurs, has been one of the sound defensive players alongside Donald this season.
Although the outcome of Week 12 wasn’t ideal, the Rams still have five regular season games left. By winning out, the Rams would have a 9-7 record, but it starts with a week-by-week approach.
Often times, when a loss lingers around the roster it affects their work moving forward. The team must stay high in spirits during a loss, but use the loss to improve their effort, while crediting the other team.
Safety T.J. McDonald recorded seven solo tackles against the Saints, which ranked fourth on the team and second amongst defensive backs. When asked out the effort on defense, he also credited the Saints, but stated that the team was unable to execute crucial details:
“We just [got] outplayed,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “You’ve got to [take] your hats off to them, they did a good job against us. But for us, we weren’t on all of our details. Everyone wasn’t doing their job. Our eyes were bad. And so, we’ve got to chalk that up, learn from it, and move on.”
Upon allowed 569 yards of offense to the Saints, the Rams’ defense has dived in the updated standings. Entering Week 13, the Rams now have the ninth ranked defense, allowing 339.8 yards per games.
While the defense will come out strong in Week 13, they also have travel to Gillette Stadium, where the New England Patriots are 4-2 this season.
