The Los Angeles Rams lost their final game of the regular season as they blew a 17-point lead to division rival San Francisco 49ers. Matthew Stafford's squad was exposed with their style of play as the opposing team capitalized on their miscues and played as the hungrier team in Week 18.
Although they lost, the Rams still successfully secured the NFC West title after the Arizona Cardinals came up short in their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco will be seeing action in the playoffs as they have nabbed the fourth and sixth seed in the NFC, respectively. Sean McVay's squad will surely have to learn from this game and work on their lapses before their matchup against the fifth-seeded Cardinals in the Wild Card Round next weekend.
With that said, here are three takeaways from the Rams' Week 18 loss to the 49ers:
3. Cooper Kupp was an unguardable force in the game.
Throughout the season, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has proven that he is an elite pass-catcher who can always be relied on whenever needed. Week 18 was no different as the 28-year-old stepped up and delivered for the Rams' offense. Not a single defender was able to cover him as he finished the tilt with a game-high 118 receiving yards on seven receptions and a TD for Los Angeles.
Kupp may not have broken Calvin Johnson's all-time receiving yards record in Week 18 but he can't be blamed for it as he wasn't targeted that much in the second half. Still, not being able to do so shouldn't remove any credit from Kupp who has been an integral piece for the Rams' offensive attack this season. His efforts weren't wasted as he still ended up as the league leader in catches, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards this season.
The Pro Bowler will surely be a marked man in the playoffs and the Rams will need every ounce of production from him in order to have a deep run in the postseason.
2. The Rams need to have a stronger rushing attack moving forward.
As good as Cooper Kupp may be, it is evident that LA still have depth issues in terms of their ground game. As of the moment, Los Angeles only has Sony Michel and Cam Akers manning the unit, with the latter still in the process of getting acclimated again after a long layoff. This comes as one of their rushers in Darrell Henderson remains to be out due to a knee injury sustained in Week 16.
In Week 18, the Rams mainly relied on Michel's production on the ground with 43 rushing yards on 21 attempts. Kupp added 18 yards on a single drive while Akers only notched three yards in five carries. Unfortunately, the team's QB in Stafford isn't as mobile as the younger quarterbacks in the league like Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray who can opt to make plays on the ground when the play on the field collapses.
This further hurts the Rams' ability to run the ball on top of their depth issues in the running back unit. Still, the team must find a way to have a better ground game in order to have a more dynamic offensive attack upon entering the postseason.
1. Matthew Stafford needs to be more efficient with his passes.
In Week 18, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was exposed as his inaccuracy turned out to be a major factor in their loss to the Niners. He still hasn't resolved his passing issues as he recorded two interceptions in the game, including the final play which was picked off by 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas.
Stafford's performance caused him to end the season with a total of 17 picks which is tied with Trevor Lawrence for the most in the league. He finished the game with 238 passing yards on 21-of-32 passes completed to go with three touchdowns.
Certainly enough, the outcome would be different for the Rams if Stafford was able to cut down his mistimed passes and avoid being intercepted too often. Needless to say, the 33-year-old will have a huge imprint in the team's postseason campaign and he would need to come up with more efficient outings if he wants to lead his team far into the playoffs.
Follow Us
Subscribe