The Los Angeles Rams will be without Cooper Kupp for the foreseeable future and Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints was a taste of what they can expect at wide receiver for the next 5-7 weeks while Kupp is sidelined. The Rams lost to the Saints, 27-20, but it wasn’t just because they didn’t have Kupp.
Looking at the snap counts from Sunday’s loss, we can see how the Rams managed to fill the void left by Kupp. They went six deep at wide receiver, from Ben Skowronek to Tutu Atwell.
At running back, Kyren Williams led the way in playing time, but it was Cam Akers who got the most touches. Darrell Henderson Jr. was almost no where to be found, which was surprising.
Offense
Matthew Stafford was forced to miss 26 snaps after leaving the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Bryce Perkins was the only other quarterback available with John Wolford out, so he played every snap after Stafford went down.
Williams played 35 of a possible 64 snaps at running back, while Akers mixed in for 25 snaps of his own. Akers rushed 14 times compared to seven carries for Williams, so he got more chances to touch the football. Henderson played only four snaps, with two carries going for 9 yards.
At wide receiver, Ben Skowronek (54) played the most snaps of any player, one more than Allen Robinson (53). Van Jefferson had his workload increase, playing 73% of the snaps after his role shrunk the last two weeks. The Rams used three other receivers, too: Brandon Powell (20 snaps), Lance McCutcheon (10) and Tutu Atwell (7). Atwell caught a 62-yard touchdown pass, Powell had two receptions and McCutcheon wasn’t targeted.
Ty Nsekhe was limited to only 23 snaps before injuring his knee. Bobby Evans replaced him and played 41 snaps at left tackle.
Tyler Higbee only came off the field for five snaps. Brycen Hopkins was the No. 2 tight end, playing six snaps of his own.
Defense
It was much of the same in terms of playing time for the top players. Nick Scott, Bobby Wagner and Taylor Rapp all played every snap, while Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald and Troy Hill each missed just one play.
Greg Gaines returned from injury and only left the field for five plays, so he seems to be fully healthy. A’Shawn Robinson was limited to 16 snaps before getting hurt, which increased the role for Marquise Copeland; he played 27 snaps. Michael Hoecht and Bobby Brown played five snaps each.
Leonard Floyd and Terrell Lewis were the top two edge rushers, with Floyd playing all but six snaps and Lewis playing 51%. Justin Hollins remains the third edge rusher, playing 20 of 57 snaps.
The Rams weren’t in nickel or dime sets much against the Saints. Derion Kendrick was the No. 3 cornerback after David Long Jr. supplanted him last week. Kendrick played three more snaps than Long this week.
Russ Yeast was the No. 3 safety behind Scott and Rapp, playing a career-high 12 snaps on Sunday.
