NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams return to SoFi Stadium this Sunday to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. The Rams are coming off their bye week following a disappointing 1-4 start to their season. The Raiders are coming off a 32-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that dropped their record to 2-4. Both teams are looking to turn around the slow start to their seasons.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the Rams offense. For the season, Stafford has passed for 1238 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Pass protection has been an issue for the Rams as Stafford has been sacked 16 times in the team’s 5 games. The Rams offensive line has had difficulties maintaining their blocks in pass protection. When given time, Stafford has found success in finding receivers in Coach Sean McVay’s passing schemes. Raiders DE Max Crosby and his ability to get to the quarterback will be a focus for the Rams offensive line. Look for the Rams to provide help to RT Rob Havenstein in blocking Crosby.
With Cooper Kupp and Paku Nacua out with injuries, TuTu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington have been the top WR targets for Stafford with 17 and 18 receptions respectively. Tight end Colby Parkinson leads the team with 19 receptions and has shown to be a trusted target for Stafford. The Rams may have received some good news this week as Kupp has been seen running routes on the practice field. Kupp is trending towards returning this week, though the Rams have not officially stated whether Kupp will play against the Raiders.
Kyren Williams got off to a slow start this season. In their last two games, Williams has helped to get the Rams running game on track, rushing for over 200 yards. For the season, Williams has rushed for 360 yards and 6 touchdowns. Rookie RB Blake Corum was inserted into the Rams backfield in their last game, rushing for 25 yards on 5 carries. Look for the Rams to establish their running game early against the Raiders. With the running game established, this will open up play-action passing for the Rams, a staple in Coach McVay’s offense.
Defensively, the Rams have struggled in stopping the run, allowing 157 yards per game. Teams have exposed the Rams inability to consistently stopped outside rushing attempts. The issue the Rams have faced is poor outside containment. The Raiders running game with Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah will look to test the Rams’ outside rush defense. The Rams interior defensive line will look to get off their blocks and close up the inside rushing lanes.
The Raiders made a change a quarterback in their last game, going with Aiden O’Connell in place of Gardner Minshew. In his start against Pittsburgh, O’Connell completed 27-40 passes for 227 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The Raiders offensive line did a good job with pass protection, allowing only 1 sack against the Steelers. The Rams edge rushers, Byron Young and Jared Verse will look to bring pressure from the outside while Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Bobby Brown, III will look to collapse the pocket from the inside. Young and Verse will need to maintain outside containment to prevent O’Connell from escaping outside the pocket and extend plays.
During this past week, the Raiders parted ways with WR Devante Adams. With Adams being traded, the Raiders will look to Tre Turner and DJ Turner, and Jakobi Meyers to carry the load. Meyers leads the Raiders WR with 25 receptions for 273 yards and 1 touchdown. TE Brock Bowers has been the Raiders’ primary target in their passing game. Bowers leads the team with 37 receptions for 384 yards and 1 touchdown. Bowers will be a focus for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
The Rams have been hit by injuries early in the season and have struggled with consistent play. The bye week came at a good time for the Rams as it allowed the team to regroup and get back on track. Look for the Rams to continue with a balanced offensive attack against the Raiders. Defensively, look for the Rams to blitz early against O’Connell to get him off his spot. The Rams will snap their 2-game losing streak with a total team effort.
