The Los Angeles Rams are using this preseason not to get their proven starters ready for Week 1, but to give their younger players an extended look before the regular season begins. It’s a learning experience for the NFL’s youngest roster, with 36 of their players being rookies.
Their inexperience showed at times on Saturday night in their 34-17 loss to the Chargers, but Sean McVay will use his team’s mistakes to help the group improve before their second preseason game next week.
Here’s what we learned from the 17-point loss at SoFi Stadium, with some good and some bad.
1
Rams still protecting some of their projected starters
Sean McVay said the Rams would take a very different approach to the preseason by playing some of their starters, but he didn’t blindly throw everyone into action. Along with Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford, the Rams held out a good number of expected starters.
Beyond the veterans who were expected to get the night off, McVay also kept Cobie Durant, Jordan Fuller, Joe Noteboom, Brian Allen, Coleman Shelton, Ernest Jones and Van Jefferson out of action. Ahkello Witherspoon didn’t play either, which could be a sign that he is projected to start for the Rams.
2
We didn’t learn much about the center battle
With Allen and Shelton both held out of action, we didn’t learn anything new about the battle at center. It’s one of the most interesting position battles but with Mike McAllister getting the start, we don’t know who the Rams prefer at center right now.
They might just decide this competition in practice rather than the preseason unless the plan changes next week against the Raiders.
3
Logan Bruss is off to a poor start at right tackle
Bruss struggled badly at guard last preseason before getting hurt and things weren’t much better at right tackle on Saturday night. He gave up an early sack and then allowed quick pressure on an incomplete pass on third down, reaching for the pass rusher and getting off-balance.
He’s not going to start over Rob Havenstein anyway, but he certainly doesn’t look ready for NFL action at this point.
watch out for @chrisr_II 👀
📺 | CBS LA + Estrella + NFLN pic.twitter.com/LslB0L6JqJ
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 13, 2023
4
Rams desperately need someone to step up at edge rusher
The weakest position group on the Rams’ roster looked like exactly that on Saturday. The edge rushers didn’t make much of an impact against the Chargers’ backup offensive line in the first half, and these are the starting edge rushers we’re talking about: Michael Hoecht and Byron Young.
Young had a sack taken away because he grabbed the quarterback’s facemask, but he didn’t exactly pop off the screen. Hoecht didn’t, either. That’s a major concern for Los Angeles, which is seriously lacking talent at outside linebacker.
Fortunately, Daniel Hardy and Keir Thomas came alive in the second half with a pair of sacks.
5
Stetson Bennett outplayed Brett Rypien
Rypien got the start but it was Bennett who played the better game at quarterback. Rypien threw a couple of errant passes, including a deep shot over the head of Puka Nacua, before getting pulled for the rookie from Georgia. Bennett also started the night with some shaky throws, including a couple of near-interceptions, but he settled down and played well.
Bennett completed some impressive passes to the likes of Puka Nacua (for a touchdown) and Tyler Johnson, which came on a slant over the middle; it was a perfectly placed pass for 34-yard gain.
On the money to @T_muhneyy10! 👀
📺 @ABC7 + the Rams App pic.twitter.com/pIV4ERFxUP
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 13, 2023
6
Special teams unit needs work
It wasn’t a great night for special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn’s group. There was a delay of game penalty on a punt in the second half and Tanner Brown’s first field goal attempt came on a 46-yarder, which he missed way left of the uprights. The Rams also allowed an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half.
Ethan Evans clearly has a big leg and he showed it off a couple of times, but he also needs to dial it in; he outkicked his coverage once and booted a 62-yarder into the end zone for a touchback.
Alex Ward did a nice job snapping and Brown did bounce back with a made 39-yard field goal, but the special teams as a whole was not good enough.
7
Run defense is a major concern
With all the inexperience the Rams have along their front seven, it was almost expected that the run defense would suffer. It did – and badly – on Saturday night. The Chargers rushed for 214 yards, with 92 of those yards coming from Elijah Dotson’s six carries. It wasn’t completely the defensive line’s fault because the edge rushers and second-level defenders couldn’t set the edge, but the entire front was lacking production.
The Rams can’t afford to defend the run the way they did on Saturday night when the regular season begins because that was ugly.
Dotson dashes for SIX (again!) ⚡️
📺: #LACvsLAR on NFL Network
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/duSBuYvB61pic.twitter.com/UA5FRBXg2B— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 13, 2023
8
Puka Nacua is going to be a factor this season
Nacua played the first half of the game and managed to pull in three catches for 32 yards and the first touchdown of the preseason for the Rams. McVay yanked him at halftime, a sign that he wants to protect the rookie from injury before the season begins.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Nacua plays in the second and third preseason games because if he doesn’t get much playing time, it could be a sign of his status on the depth chart, potentially putting him ahead of Ben Skowronek.
