The Rams blew out the Broncos on Christmas, but they were on the other end of a lopsided game on Sunday. The Chargers steamrolled them, 31-10, at SoFi Stadium, handing the Rams their 11th loss of the season.
There were a couple of strong performances from Rams players in Week 17, but outside of Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, it was a pretty uneventful and unimpressive game from a Rams perspective.
Pro Football Focus graded every player who suited up and their scores reflect how poorly the Rams played on Sunday. Take a look at the best and worst performers from the game.
Top 5 offense
- Cam Akers: 81.6
- Van Jefferson: 81.0
- Brycen Hopkins: 71.6
- Rob Havenstein: 67.4
- Coleman Shelton: 62.0
There was Akers and Jefferson, and everyone else on offense. They were really the only ones who played well on offense, with the exception of maybe Hopkins; he caught one pass for 21 yards.
Havenstein’s grade was respectable despite him giving up a team-high four pressures at right tackle. His run-blocking grade of 69.6 is what saved him. Shelton also struggled in pass protection, earning a pass-blocking grade of just 47.9.
Top 5 defense
- Michael Hoecht: 73.2
- Jalen Ramsey: 73.1
- Jonah Williams: 68.5
- Marquise Copeland: 66.2
- Troy Hill: 62.7
As poorly as the offense played, the defense was devoid of any grades above 80.0. Hoecht had two pressures, as did Ramsey, which were fewer than the four pressures Leonard Floyd had on his own. In coverage, Ramsey allowed three catches for 31 yards on four targets.
Williams registered one pressure and only had two tackles, which makes it surprising that his grade was as high as it was. Copeland had a similar game with two tackles, but he didn’t have any pressures as a pass rusher.
Hill was targeted five times and allowed three catches for 33 yards, but he did miss one tackle.
Bottom 5 offense
- Baker Mayfield: 53.8
- Tutu Atwell: 53.5
- Matt Skura: 52.6
- Tyler Higbee: 51.6
- Chandler Brewer: 38.2
Mayfield was not his best in this game, finishing with only one big-time throw and one turnover-worthy play, which was his lost fumble. He didn’t show great pocket awareness, either.
Atwell caught just two passes for a total of 10 yards in what was an uneventful day for him. Higbee caught three passes but they totaled only 11 yards with a long of 7 yards.
Skura and Brewer were the two weak links on the offensive line, but for different reasons. Brewer had a 39.8 pass-blocking grade, while SKura’s 46.1 run-blocking grade was the second-worst – better than only Brewer’s 39.8 mark.
Bottom 5 defense
- Russ Yeast: 48.9
- Greg Gaines: 48.4
- Cobie Durant: 47.0
- Earnest Brown IV: 45.2
- Keir Thomas: 41.1
Yeast and Durant, two rookie defensive backs, did not play particularly well against the Chargers. Yeast filled in briefly for Nick Scott after he went down, and though he didn’t allow a catch, he was given a coverage grade of 48.1. Durant allowed five catches for 64 yards on seven targets, also missing a tackle.
Gaines was limited to just 14 snaps, likely due to his shoulder injury, finishing with no pressures and just one tackle. Brown was equally unimpactful, recording zero pressures and only one assisted tackle.
Thomas played just 12 snaps and was held without a single pressure on seven pass-rush snaps.
Other notables
- Ty Nsekhe: 61.4
- Taylor Rapp: 60.0
- Bobby Wagner: 57.5
Nsekhe only allowed one pressure in pass protection, a solid showing from the left tackle. Rapp’s grade is probably higher than many expected after he took a poor angle on Austin Ekeler’s touchdown run and was beat by Donald Parham for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Wagner made seven tackles but missed one and gave up four catches on four targets for 37 yards.
