The 7-1 Los Angeles Rams will look to keep their winning streak going when they kick off Sunday Night Football at SoFi Stadium against the AFC South leaders, the Tennessee Titans.
The Rams were in the midst of a soft part of their schedule, but get a solid test midway through the 2021 season against a Titans team that has tacked on several impressive victories over projected playoff teams.
Rams Offense vs. Titans Defense
Los Angeles boasts one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL thanks to the brilliant mind of Sean McVay and the arm of Matthew Stafford, who has seemingly taken more control of the offense week-to-week. Stafford and Cooper Kupp have formed one of the most devastating one-two punches as the wide receiver was recently named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for the second time.
Against the Houston Texans, Kupp put up seven receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown and that was relatively quiet compared to his previous weeks.
Surprisingly enough, the Titans are ranked as one of the worst pass defenses in the league, which means Stafford and the receivers could be in line for another big day. Robert Woods remains as steady as ever, while the emergence of Van Jefferson has been a pleasant surprise for McVay and the offense. However, Tennessee is a fairly stout run defense which could mean Darrell Henderson may struggle to find many holes to run through on the ground, though he can also do damage in the receiving game.
The Rams are expected to have Andrew Whitworth back at left tackle after the veteran missed Week 8 due to a knee injury. This will be crucial for L.A. as Tennessee does have a solid pass rush, though the offensive line’s play has been one of the best attributes of the team so far.
Rams Defense vs. Titans Offense
The talk around the league this week has been about the Rams and Les Snead pushing all their chips to the center of the table as they gave up 2022 second and third-round picks for Von Miller.
Miller joins an already stacked defense featuring Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd and should find immediate success as he will not see so many linemen impeding him. Unfortunately though, we will have to wait to see his Rams debut as he was ruled inactive due to an ankle issue.
While the Rams added a core piece to their defense, the Titans lost the key to their offense after Derrick Henry underwent surgery for a foot injury. Without Henry, Tennessee will need to rely more on A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, though Ryan Tannehill may find it difficult to see plays develop with the L.A. pass rush breathing down his neck. Newly signed Adrian Peterson figures to get most of the early-down work, with Jeremy McNichols playing the third-down, pass-catching role.
However, even though the Rams lucked out not having to face Henry the Titans have proven time and time again they are able to rise to the occasion which means they will still need to be play disciplined football.
Not only will the Rams be without Miller, but Sebastian Joseph-Day is also out after undergoing surgery on his injured pec.
Keys To Victory
1. Stop The Run
Even though Henry is out, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will likely keep the team’s offensive identity on the ground which means the Rams will need to focus on stopping the run early on. Even at 36, Peterson has shown he can still get the job done and McNichols is no slouch in that area as well.
Tennessee will look to try and keep the ball out of Stafford’s hands as long as possible, so Los Angeles needs to do its best to limit the damage on the ground.
2. Feed The Receivers
As mentioned previously, the Titans have one of the most exploitable secondaries in the league, so McVay and offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell will be happy to dial up passing plays throughout the evening. Kupp has easily been the best receiver through eight weeks, so he should continue the historic streak he has been on. Meanwhile, Woods, Jefferson and Tyler Higbee should all see ample targets.
