NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals on Monday night. The Rams are coming off a 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in week 2 that evened their record to 1-1. The Bengals enter this contest with a record of 0-2 following their 27-24 loss to the Ravens. Quarterback Joe Burrow is listed as questionable as he has aggravated a calf injury and his availability will be a game-time decision. The Rams will need to do a better job at maintaining an offensive balance. In their week 2 game, the Rams attempted 55 passes compared to 22 rush attempts.
Rams Offense
Quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the Rams offense. Through 2 games, Stafford has passed for 641 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The Rams have seen improvement in the offensive line’s pass protection as they have only allowed 1 sack in 93 pass attempts through the first 2 games. The offensive line’s pass protection will be key for the Rams’ success moving this season.
A pleasant surprise for Rams fans has been the play of rookie WR Puka Nacua. Through the first 2 games, Nacua has 25 receptions for 266 yards. The 25 receptions set an NFL record for most receptions by a rookie in his first 2 games. With the injury to Cooper Kupp, Nacua has become Stafford’s top receiving target. Stafford has shown that he has a lot of trust that Nacua will make the tough receptions anywhere on the field.
Look for Nacua to continue to be a focal point in the Rams passing attack. WR Tutu Atwell is 2nd on the team in receptions with 13 for 196 yards. Van Jefferson has not been as involved in the passing game as many fans expected. Look for Stafford to get Jefferson more involved in the matchup with the Bengals.
This past week, the Rams made the decision to move on from RB Cam Akers and traded him to the Minnesota Vikings. Kryen Williams has not been inserted as the starting running back in Coach McVay’s offense. Williams is averaging 52 yards rushing and 14.5 carries per game through 2 weeks. Williams will be expected to get a bulk of the carries in the Rams running game with Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans expected to see playing time in the Rams backfield. Look for Coach McVay to keep the Rams’ offense more balanced this week against Cincinnati.
Rams Defense
In their loss to San Francisco, the Rams were outscored 20-6 after taking a 17-10 lead. Run defense was an issue as the Rams allowed 159 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Look for Cincinnati to attempt to exploit the Rams’ run defense. RB Joe Mixon is averaging 4.4 yards per carry through 2 games. The Rams defense line, led by Aaron Donald will look to get off their blocks quickly and close up the inside running lanes. Inside linebackers, Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom will need to fill the inside running lanes.
Outside linebackers Byron Young and Michael Hoecht will look to improve on their outside containment and force the running game back to the inside toward the Rams pursuit. If quarterback Joe Burrow plays, he will not be 100%, which should affect his scrambling ability. Look for the Rams to maintain outside containment with their pass rush and bring pressure up the middle.
The Rams secondary will be facing a tough matchup with the Bengals’ starting WRs JaMarr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. All 3 receivers have the talent to be the #1 receiver on any team. Look for Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to keep the Rams in a nickel defense with deep safety help primarily on JaMarr Chase. The Rams pass rush will be a key in the game.
If the Rams are able to put consistent pressure on the Bengals quarterback, it will limit their ability to throw the deep pass and force them to go to check down and shorter passing routes. With the shorter passing routes, maintaining proper tackling techniques and not allowing significant yards after the catch will be a factor for the Rams’ defense.
Prediction
The Rams and Bengals are looking to bounce back after tough week 2 losses to division rivals. The calf injury to Joe Burrow could possibly affect his production. The Rams will look to bring a more balanced offensive attack and a strong pass rush to limit the explosiveness of the Bengals’ offense. Look for the Rams to improve to 2-1 and the Bengals to fall to 0-3
Rams 24
Bengals 17
