Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is arguably the best at his position in the NFL. His size, technique and anticipation are unmatched. This five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro will have a big task ahead of him as he must lead this Los Angeles Rams defense in physicality and communication against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Oftentimes, opponents will avoid Ramsey’s side of the field completely, which means he won’t get many plays on the ball. Because of this, there are times Ramsey will overpursue in order to make a play. Some teams, including the 49ers, have used this against him.
It’s not often that Ramsey gets beat; and to be fair, the 49ers won’t have any Mike Evans-caliber receivers out there.
Ramsey just got beat pic.twitter.com/KkvyXbdcN5
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) January 23, 2022
So, plays like this are unlikely to happen. The 49ers will have to take a different approach in order to beat Ramsey.
Two of the many traits of Ramsey’s game that take him to the next level are his physicality and mental processing. Since Ramsey can recognize a play developing, he does a great job closing to the ball quickly.
When Ramsey is the furthest defender to the outside without a wide out blocking, there is absolutely no point in running in his direction. He has proved that he will not be out muscled one-on-one.
One way the 49ers exploited his aggressiveness in 27-24 overtime win in Week 18 was to let Ramsey overpursue.
In the clip below, the tight-end sells the fake block perfectly and with the motion lead-blocking for Deebo Samuel, we can’t blame Ramsey for falling for that one. Who knew Samuel had an arm like that?!
The 49ers will have to have some tricks up their sleeve, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will have to execute to perfection.
Against man coverage, Garoppolo might have to look off some his throws and use pump fakes to get his receivers open against Ramsey. On rub routes, he must remain patient and allow the pick to play out.
In week 10, Ramsey was defending the slot, as he went inside, the wideout took two steps forward then cut inside.
In Week 18, the 49ers used a similar rub route concept, except this time, Ramsey was lined up on the outside. He still bit on the underneath route.
Garoppolo’s pump fake really made the difference here and allowed his receiver to get some space from Ramsey.
In this zone-match defense, the other way to beat Ramsey is by forcing him to defend the in route when he is playing off coverage.
On these routes, since it’s tough to beat Ramsey over the top, underneath is the way to go. These routes are open. Keep in mind that if Ramsey is in zone, he won’t even break inside because the nickel corner will be there.
The next progression from the in route is the dig; this is where a receiver will fake a go route and then cut inside.
Ramsey has great anticipation but the chance of getting beat by a double move allows a little bit of separation at the receiver’s break.
Trick plays, rub routes and digs should all be in the game plan this weekend for the 49ers.
It’s almost impossible to avoid Ramsey completely, but these are a few ways to beat him in man and zone-match coverage. Garoppolo must sell his fakes, remain patient and try not to throw it to Ramsey when he is defending out routes, Those are his specialty.
If the 49ers solve the Ramsey problem, they could well be on their way to another Super Bowl.
