The Los Angeles Rams have some ground to catch up on in the NFC West after their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
Sitting at 3-2, they now find themselves in third in the division. This year’s edition of the Rams has not looked like last season’s Super Bowl contender due to a suddenly tame offense and a defense that has struggled to contain explosive plays in recent weeks.
Jared Goff has been under plenty of duress in the pocket this year as the offensive line has failed to pass protect as effectively has it has in recent seasons under head coach Sean McVay. This has resulted in more underneath throws and turnovers for Goff, who has gotten off to a rough start.
However, there were some positives to take away from the Seattle game as the quarterback routinely found Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee, a welcomed sign for an offense that could use more passing variety.
According to Stu Jackson of Rams, Goff explained how he got his tight ends involved:
“Just by the way the game flow goes,” Goff said. “I think there’s no intent to it, it’s just that those were the guys that were open on those plays.”
McVay also seemed pleased to see Goff making the necessary reads in the offense and praised both Everett and Higbee for their strong play:
“I think Jared did a good job getting through progressions and finding guys,” McVay said. “I thought Gerald and Tyler did a nice job in making the most of their opportunities.”
Everett posted a career-high in receptions and yardage as he ended the game with seven catches for 136 yards. Higbee also chipped in with three receptions for 47 yards.
In the past two seasons, Los Angeles’ offense has prominently featured three-receivers, one tight end and one running back, but McVay has seemingly made it a point to run more personnel groupings with both his tight ends in the mix. For the first few games, this seemed to be a move to help the offensive line pass and run block, but Higbee and especially Everett have now gotten more looks in the passing game as well.
Despite the loss, this was the most encouraging game for the Rams offense as there were several drives that reminded people how dangerous this team can be when it gets into a groove. Hopefully, they can ride some of that positive momentum against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.
