It was a disappointing end to the Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 season on Sunday night, losing to the Detroit Lions, 24-23. They exceeded expectations just by making it to the playoffs, but the Rams believed they could go even further than they did despite few people seeing them as contenders in the NFC.
They now enter an offseason with more assets than they’ve had in recent years, including a first-round pick and ample cap space, but that doesn’t take the sting out of this loss.
Here’s what we learned from Los Angeles’ narrow defeat at Ford Field on Sunday night.
1
Clock management was not very good
Sean McVay has never been afraid to burn timeouts at inopportune times, and that’s exactly what he and Matthew Stafford did twice on Sunday night. Stafford called timeout with the play clock winding down to avoid getting a delay of game penalty early in the third quarter, and McVay did the same early in the fourth quarter to prevent another flag from flying.
Ultimately, those two timeouts cost the Rams because after punting it away in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t stop the clock when the Lions had the ball. Far too often, they snapped the ball close to zero on the play clock and it eventually burned them — twice.
2
Pass rush couldn't affect Jared Goff
According to PFF, the Rams only had 15 total pressures in the game, which is more than it seemed like. All night, it felt as if Goff had a clean pocket to throw from, which he took full advantage of by going 22-for-22 when not pressured.
The Rams tried to mix things up by blitzing Ernest Jones and dropping Michael Hoecht into coverage, but nothing worked as well as they hoped it would.
3
Red zone struggles were the difference
This game came down to two things: the Rams going 0-for-3 in the red zone and the Lions going 3-for-3. That’s a difference of 12 points right there, but even if the Rams turn one of those field goals into a touchdown, they probably win this game.
Matthew Stafford was 2-for-7 in the red zone for 7 yards, targeting Cooper Kupp four times. The Rams only rushed for 2 yards on the other three plays, gaining a total of 9 yards on 10 red zone plays.
The execution inside the 20 needed to be better, especially on the first drive when they threw the ball three times from the 6.
4
Davis Allen has a bright future at tight end
Allen has been buried behind Tyler Higbee all year but he’s capitalized on his opportunities. He caught two passes for 28 yards on Sunday, including a 22-yarder on second-and-6 to get the Rams down to the 11-yard line.
With Higbee likely suffering a torn ACL in the loss, it could be Allen starting next season as the Rams’ top tight end. Obviously, that’s a long way out, but he’s a promising young player from a great draft class.
5
Ernest Jones is going to be a Pro Bowler at some point
Jones was the Rams' most effective pass rusher against the Lions. He blitzed eight times and pressured Goff on four of those plays, recording two sacks and he forced Goff to trip and fall on another rush.
Jones missed two tackles, which he'll be disappointed by, but he's truly a do-it-all linebacker who can stop the run, cover and blitz. Whether it's next season or a few years from now, he's going to earn more recognition as a future Pro Bowler.
6
Matthew Stafford played a near-perfect game
If someone said Stafford threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, you'd have thought the Rams won. There isn’t much more he could've done aside from maybe turning one of those red zone throws into a touchdown, or hitting Cooper Kupp when he came wide open down the left sideline.
Stafford didn't come close to committing a turnover and made some insanely good throws to all parts of the field. He's by no means a reason the Rams lost this game.
7
Lions capitalized on coverage mismatches
The Lions did a great job taking advantage of mismatches in coverage. Ahkello Witherspoon was no match for the quicker Amon-Ra St. Brown, allowing three big third-down receptions, including a 23-yarder on third-and-15. Michael Hoecht dropped into coverage 19 times and was targeted on six of those plays, allowing six catches for 64 yards -- including Sam LaPorta's touchdown in the first half.
Raheem Morris did the most with what he had on defense, but the Rams' lack of talent in coverage proved to be costly. They simply didn't have the players to match up with the Lions' receivers.
8
Puka Nacua was the Rams' only playmaker on offense
Kyren Williams got going a little bit in the fourth quarter, but he finished with just 61 yards rushing on 13 carries. Nacua was really the only reliable source of production on offense, catching nine passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams' other pass catchers combined had 16 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown, with no player finishing the game with more than 44 yards receiving. The only target Nacua didn't come down with was the last play on third-and-14 where he was grabbed and still nearly made the catch. He did everything possible to carry the offense when few others were able to step up.
