The Los Angeles Rams were looking like the best team in the league until they met the Arizona Cardinals. Instead, LA finds themselves in second place in the NFC West after losing to Arizona on Sunday. It's time to continue our NFL takeaways series with a Rams Week 4 takeaway.
Typically the Rams defense dominates their opponents but that wasn't the case in Week 4. The Cardinals surprisingly dropped 37 points and put themselves on the map as one of the best teams in the league. Luckily for Los Angeles, they have time to readjust and figure it out, but there are some noticeable weaknesses on the team.
The Rams have been offensively sound through their first three games. They seemed unbeatable heading into this matchup. To get back on track, Los Angeles should consider giving the rock to Darrell Henderson more often. Additionally, it was odd to see Van Jefferson lead the team in receptions. That must change going forward. With that said, here are three Rams Week 4 takeaways from their game against the Cardinals.
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Rams Week 4 Takeaways
3. Rams defense got exposed
They've been stuffing the run and the secondary is regarded as one of the best in the NFL. Even so, the Arizona Cardinals found a way to score at will. The Cardinals' run game was rolling on all cylinders while Kyler Murray spread the ball around smoothly.
It was an excellent game plan from Arizona that took the Rams off guard. They attacked LA with a well-balanced approach and avoided Jalen Ramsey altogether. This challenged the rest of the defense to step up and they fell short. Look for the Rams to make some adjustments in Week 5 and get back on track.
2. Darrell Henderson should receive a bigger workload
He's not the most exciting running back in the league but Darrell Henderson gets the job done. He finished the game with 89 rushing yards off of 14 attempts. Henderson averaged a solid 6.4 yards per carry against the Cardinals.
The other seven team carries belonged to Matthew Stafford (six) and Sony Michel (three). Due to Henderson's proficiency, Sean McVay should consider giving him more carries here on out. Having a run game can bring balance to this offense and relieve pressure off of Matthew Stafford's shoulders.
Based on Sony Michel's poor performance in his one chance as the lone running back, it's likely McVay opts to give Darrell Henderson a bigger workload. We'll see if that comes to fruition as only time will provide the answer.
1. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods need more opportunities than Van Jefferson
Cooper Kupp has been on fire with Matthew Stafford under center. At the same time, Robert Woods has struggled to receive the number of targets he's familiar with. He bounced back with a touchdown reception against the Cardinals, but he needs a bigger role moving forward.
Van Jefferson is an exciting prospect, However, he's currently not at the same talent level as Kupp or Woods. Jefferson looked like the top receiving option on Sunday, which likely wasn't in the game plan. Look for Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods to regain control of the targets, as they give the Rams their best chances to succeed.
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