The Los Angeles Rams are the latest victims of a Super Bowl hangover as they continue to lose in a variety of ways this season. Following a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams were stunned by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16-13, in Week 9.
Buy Rams TicketsTom Brady led a game-winning touchdown drive for the Buccaneers with less than a minute remaining in the game, scoring with just 9 seconds left. The Rams continue to find ways to beat themselves in all three levels of the game as they are now 3-5 entering Week 10.
With the Rams letting a crucial win escape their grasp on Sunday, here are six takeaways from the detrimental loss.
1
The running game continues to be a mess
The Rams continued to use a mixture of Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers, and Malcolm Brown in the backfield against the Buccaneers. Despite Tampa Bay’s defense struggling against the run in recent weeks, Los Angeles still couldn’t find consistent production in the running game.
In the disappointing road loss, the Rams totaled only 68 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Henderson had a couple of explosive runs in the third quarter and finished with a team-high 56 yards on 12 attempts while looking like the best back on the roster this week. Also, running the ball on first down just for the sake of running the ball needs to stop being a common occurrence.
2
Bobby Evans is a liability at left guard
The offensive line of the Rams has been a topic of conversation throughout the season, whether it be due to injuries or inconsistent play. Amid all of the injuries, one player that has mightily struggled in a starting role is Bobby Evans.
The former third-round pick has started at left guard with David Edwards sideline, and during Sunday’s contest against the Buccaneers, Evans was tasked with blocking Vita Vea for a decent portion of the game. The Rams would allow four sacks on Sunday while Evans would allow three of them (two to Vea, one to Rakeem Nunez-Roches). Sean McVay needs to make a change sooner rather than later.
3
Cooper Kupp is pretty good at this football thing
There are only a few players on the Rams that you could say have been consistent in every game this season. Cooper Kupp is one of those players as he’s continued from where he left off a season ago when he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year recorded eight receptions, 127 yards, and one touchdown against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Kupp’s touchdown was a 69-yard touchdown where Matthew Stafford connected with him down the field after looking off the safety, reminiscent of the touchdown play in last year’s divisional game versus the Buccaneers.
4
Troy Hill being back is massive for the defense
Troy Hill made his return to the Rams in Week 8 versus the 49ers after being out of the lineup since Week 2 due to an injury. In his first game back, Hill was limited to 42 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 8, but he saw more playing time in Week 9.
The veteran cornerback was able to log seven tackles, two pass breakups, and a tackle for loss in the loss versus the Buccaneers. Hill made plenty of instinctive plays in the game and having him and Ramsey on the field together makes this defense even better moving forward.
5
Rams continue to live or die by playing soft coverage
Raheem Morris has been able to make the Rams one of the premier defensive units in the NFL since taking over for Brandon Staley last season. While Morris has done well as the defensive coordinator, his decision to play soft zone coverages, regardless of the situation in games, can prove to be costly.
The game-winning drive by Brady to seal the victory for the Buccaneers was a perfect example of Morris’ soft zone coverage hurting the Rams. The future Hall of Fame quarterback had easy throws to wide-open receivers while defensive backs had to try to make up ground to try and make a play on the ball. The lack of a mixture of coverages makes it easier for certain quarterbacks to succeed against the Rams.
6
The Rams failed to convert on third down at an efficient rate
The Rams’ offense has certainly been stagnant all season, whether it be through the air or on the ground. Injuries on the offensive line haven’t helped, but other teams are dealing with injury issues as well, so it can’t continue to be an excuse every week.
The one area where the offense has excelled this season — at least entering Sunday’s showdown — has been converting third downs. The Rams were converting third downs at the fifth-best rate in the NFL, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Los Angeles converted only four of its 15 third-down attempts in Week 9, which understandably made it hard for them to sustain drives.
