NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams embark on their longest road trip of the season as they head to London, England, to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the final NFL game in London this season. Both teams will aim to maintain their position in their respective divisions. The Rams will look to make it two straight wins following their 17-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars will look to bounce back following their 20-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford led a balanced offensive attack against the Ravens, completing 17-26 passes for 181 yards and 1 touchdown. Stafford continues to do a good job of protecting the ball and not forcing a pass into coverage. Stafford will look to continue to take what the defense gives him and not force the ball into coverage. The Rams may be without WR Puka Nacua as he injured his ankle at the end of the first half in the win against Baltimore. Though he did return in the 2nd half, his play was limited, and Stafford did not target him once in the 2nd half. Nacua’s availability this weekend remains uncertain as he was held out of practice on Wednesday. If Nauca is not able to play, the Jaguars will look to limit the productivity of WR Davante Adams, who is expected to be Stafford’s top target. The Rams receiver room will look to adopt the next man up mentality. Look for WR Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield to be more involved in the passing game. WR Tutu Atwell, who missed the game against Baltimore due to a hamstring injury, may be available this weekend.
The Rams did return to a balanced offensive attack that they had gotten away from in the previous two games, with 23 rushing attempts to go along with Stafford’s 26 pass attempts. The Ravens did limit the Rams to 74 rushing yards, but Rams coach Sean McVay stood with the run game. RB Kyren Williams led the Rams with 50 rushing yards on 13 carries. Backup RB Blake Corum was held out of practice due to an ankle injury, leaving his availability for Sunday in question. Look for Williams to have an increased workload in the Rams’ running game.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars offense. On the season, Lawrence has passed for 1324 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Lawrence will spread the ball around, having completed passes to 11 different receivers this season. His top target has been Brian Thomas, Jr, with 24 receptions for 334 yards. Rookie WR Travis Hunter will figure in the Jaguars’ passing game, as he has 20 receptions on the season. TE Brenton Strange will be a player Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will have to be mindful of, especially in goal-line situations. The Rams will look to put pressure on Lawrence, as he’s been sacked 13 times the season. Edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young will look to bring outside pressure, but must be mindful of maintaining outside containment to prevent Lawrence from escaping to the outside. The interior defensive line will look to bring pressure up the middle and force Lawrence off his spot, and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.
Travis Etienne Jr is the primary running back in the Jaguars’ running game. Etienne has rushed for 470 yards this season while averaging over 5 yards per carry. Jacksonville will look to establish the running game early in the game to keep the Rams’ defense honest. The Rams will focus on limiting the production of Etienne in the running game.
DT Poona Ford will look to plug up the running lanes between the guards, while Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner will look to close up the lanes between the guards and tackles. The defensive line will need to get off its blocks to close up the running lanes. The edge rushers will look to keep outside containment and force the Jaguars’ running backs to the inside towards the Rams’ pursuit. Inside linebacker Omar Speights, who did not play last week due to an ankle injury, was limited in practice on Wednesday. If Speights is not able to play, look for Troy Reeder and Shaun Dolan to get a majority of reps in his place.
The Rams played an uneven game against the Ravens and did grind out the victory, keyed by a goal-line stand late in the first half. The Rams will look to get off to a better start against the Jaguars. The Jaguars have gotten off to a surprising 4-2 start, including and thrilling victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. In the end, look for the Rams to use a balanced offensive attack and a dominant defensive performance against Jacksonville and make it two straight wins.
Rams 31
Jaguars 17
