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When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7, no player deserves the Player of the Game honors more than Cobie Durant, the third-year cornerback out of South Carolina State.
Locked in at outside cornerback opposite Darious Williams, Durant did a little bit of everything against the Las Vegas Raiders; he had two tackles, a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble while perfectly setting up Kamren Curl to score a momentum-clinching touchdown in the final minutes before the half.
Asked about how Durant's efforts helped the Rams secure the win over Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and company, Matthew Stafford couldn't say enough good things to reporters after the game about his third-year starting cornerback, as he helped to make the offense's job easier.
“Yeah, our defense played unbelievable today. Obviously forcing a bunch of turnovers, getting after the quarterback [and] big stops. It was amazing,” Stafford told reporters after the game. “That play was awesome to see. I kind of had a sweet view of it from the sideline. The guard to tackle split and saw the back stepped up for somebody else so I knew we had a chance and you know, for him to get that up off of the quarterback and have Kam Curl scoop and score was amazing. Our guys played really well, made some great plays in the secondary all day long. It gave us a bunch of momentum a bunch of different times, which is what we needed so it was great.”
In a game (still) without Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, etc, the Rams had to turn to some unusual performers on offense in order to put up 20 points at SoFi, with Tyler Johnson leading the team in receiving yards at 57 and Xavier Smith ranking second in rushing with 30 yards. Fortunately, players like Durant, Curl, and Jaylen McCollough helped to pick up the slack, and the Rams are 2-4 as a result.
Sean McVay is proud of Colbie Durant's efforts for the Rams
Asked about Durant's efforts in Week 7 during his Monday afternoon media session, McVay celebrated the SC State product for consistently getting better as a pro, as he's done a lot to improve his stock in 2024.
“I think it was more about… it's always about the collective but you look at him individually, I've been so impressed with the trajectory that he's been on. I thought he had an outstanding offseason and I thought it carried over in a training camp. Then he had a couple of little things where he was dealing with some soft tissue stuff that limited his practice availability. I think he's really done an excellent job,” McVay told reporters.
“I thought he played great yesterday. I think he's played really well this season, but you had some opportunities to see him play outside, to play inside. I think we're earning more chances to be able to be where the pen's in your hand defensively. He certainly took advantage of that in two critical plays that he made, one being able to make that pick and then another being able to force the fumble. I thought the breakup that he had on [Raiders TE Brock] Bowers on the third down individual cut on the backside of the one-by-three [formation] was huge. He played great yesterday and I think he's played really well. I've been really impressed with him overall.”
While Durant was exclusively used as an outside cornerback over the first three weeks of the season, Durant has averaged 11.3 snaps per game from the slot corner spot from Week 4-7 and has proven he's a bit more versatile than some fans might think. If he continues to progress, who knows, maybe Durant will become the sort of certified secondary weapon the likes of which the Rams haven't had in years.
