NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams will be in the Big Easy this weekend to take on the New Orleans Saints. The Rams are looking to pick themselves off the deck following their 37-20 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints are looking to make it three straight wins following their 35-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. This is a pivotal game for the Rams as they look to keep pace in the NFC West.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the Rams offensive attack. Against the Eagles defense, Stafford completed 24-36 passes for 243 yards with 2 touchdowns. Stafford was sacked 5 times and faced pressure throughout the game as the Rams offensive line had difficulty containing the Eagles pass rush. Though Stafford did complete passes to 7 different receivers, 17 of his 24 receptions were to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. The Saints secondary will look to take away both Kupp and Nacua and force Stafford to go to other receivers.
As head coach of the Rams, Sean McVay has seen his offense difficult to contain when using a balanced attack. Against the Eagles, McVay got away from that, calling 36 pass attempts compared to 18 rushing attempts. The Rams will look to keep their offensive attack balanced against New Orleans. A balanced attack will keep the Saints defense honest as well as help the Rams offensive line, who continue to struggle with pass protection.
Kupp and Nacua are Stafford’s top targets in the passing game. The Rams will look to Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson more involved in their passing attack. Against the Eagles, they had a combined 6 receptions. Look for the Rams to get TE’s Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen more involved in their passing attack.
RB Kyren Williams leads the Rams rushing attack. Against the Eagles, Williams rushed 72 yards on 16 carries and 1 touchdown. Williams did have a costly fumble early in the game deep in Eagles territory losing a scoring opportunity for the Rams. Coach McVay will look to establish Williams and the running game early against the Saints. RB Blake Corum has not been utilized as much as Ram fans had envisioned when he was drafted. Through 11 games, Corum has 29 carries. Look for the Rams to get Corum more involved in their rushing attack.
Quarterback Dereck Carr leads the Saints offensive attack. After missing time due to injury, Carr has passed for 1742 yards with 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Against Cleveland, Carr completed 21-27 passes for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tayson Hill will be a focus for the Rams defense. Against the Browns, Hill accounted for 188 yards on 15 touches with 3 touchdowns. The Saints will use the multi-purpose player as a quarterback, as well as in their running and receiving attack. The Rams defense will need to be aware of where Hill lines up in the Saints offense. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will look to devise a defensive scheme to contain Hill
After allowing 314 rushing yards against the Eagles, the Rams defense can expect to see a lot of Saints RB Alvin Kamara. On the season, Kamara has rushed for 782 yards with 6 touchdowns. The Rams defense has allowed on average 144 rushing yards per game. Their interior defensive line will need to do a better job of not getting turned, getting off their blocks, and closing up the inside running lanes. The Rams edge rushers, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young will look to maintain outside containment and force the Saints runners back to the inside towards the Rams pursuit.
After starting the season 1-4, the Rams find themselves 1 game out of first place in the NFC West. Looking to keep pace with division-leading Seattle, the Rams will look to use a balanced offensive attack against the Saints. For the Rams to be more successful, Stafford cannot approach 40 pass attempts. Look for McVay to keep Stafford around 30 pass attempts and call around 25-30 running attempts. Look for the Rams to even their record to 6-6 and keep pace in the NFC West.
