The Los Angeles Rams notched their second win of the season on Sunday afternoon, beating the Indianapolis Colts 29-23 in overtime – a much-needed road win after losing to the 49ers and Bengals in back-to-back weeks. It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, especially knowing the Rams had a 23-0 lead in the third quarter, but there was a lot of good that came out of this win.
Here’s how we graded each position group in the Rams’ narrow and dramatic victory, from quarterback to special teams.
Quarterback: A-
Matthew Stafford made some incredibly good throws in this game, from his fourth-and-3 dart to Van Jefferson to his sidearm checkdown to Kyren Williams with a defender breathing down his neck. When you consider the hip injury he battled through, too, it makes his performance even better. He finished with 319 yards and a touchdown, with his only big mistake being a second-half interception.
Running back: B+
Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers both played well, rushing for a total of 150 yards on 34 carries. They were huge in pass protection, too, helping give Stafford enough time in the pocket to find open receivers. It may not be a star-studded backfield in Los Angeles but Williams and Rivers got the job done on Sunday afternoon.
Wide receiver: A-
Puka Nacua once again led the way at wide receiver, catching nine passes for a career-best 163 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He made a number of tough catches, including one on the first play of a game where he tipped the ball to himself and hauled it in for a 26-yard gain.
Tutu Atwell caught five passes for only 24 yards and Van Jefferson had just 29 yards on two catches, so it was mostly Nacua doing the damage against the Colts. But as a whole, the receivers played well.
Tight end: B
Tyler Higbee caught five passes for the second straight week, totaling 64 yards. He led the team with 11 total targets and held up well as a run blocker, earning a grade of 59.4 in that category, per Pro Football Focus. It was a solid performance from Higbee, who’s gotten better as the season has progressed, and he’s showing why the Rams were happy to give him an extension last week.
Offensive line: B+
The Rams gave up just nine total pressures, two of which were allowed by Williams and Nacua. Joe Noteboom accounted for four of the other seven allowed, so for the most part, the offensive line did a great job in pass protection. That includes Kevin Dotson, who made his Rams debut, as well as rookie Steve Avila; both players allowed just one pressure each.
Defensive line: A
Aaron Donald was almost unblockable against Indianapolis, leading the team with eight total pressures with one sack. He should’ve had another sack and forced fumble, too, but the play was negated by a defensive holding penalty on Tre Tomlinson.
While Kobie Turner was quieter than usual, Bobby Brown III and Jonah Williams were impressive against the run, helping slow down Zack Moss and the Colts’ ground game by holding him to 3.9 yards per carry.
Inside linebacker: B+
Ernest Jones once again led the team with 10 total tackles and he also had a sack, for the most part doing a good job against Anthony Richardson when he eluded the pocket. In coverage, Jones gave up just one reception on two targets, which went for 17 yards. Christian Rozeboom finished second on the team with six tackles of his own, as well.
Outside linebacker: C+
Byron Young and Michael Hoecht were the only two edge rushers who got significant playing time against the Colts, combining for four total pressures (three by Young). Hoecht had a key pass breakup at the line of scrimmage in the fourth but he still isn’t being very effective rushing the passer. Young was relatively quiet outside of a few plays, too.
Cornerback: A-
Ahkello Witherspoon and Derion Kendrick continue to play well at cornerback, both helping lock down Michael Pittman Jr. and limiting him to only one catch for 15 yards on five targets. Cobie Durant hasn’t been great in the slot and allowed three catches for 43 yards, but that doesn’t take a lot away from the performance of the cornerback group as a whole.
Safety: B+
Jordan Fuller forced his second fumble of the season Sunday, punching it out of Richardson’s hands on a run to the right side. Russ Yeast missed two tackles and can get overaggressive at times with his pursuit angles, but his physicality on the back end is valuable and helps set the tone. Yeast only allowed one catch for 21 yards on four targets.
Special teams: C
It was a mixed bag for Brett Maher, who made field goals of 40, 54 and 51 yards in the win but also missed kicks from 46 and 48 yards that would’ve padded the Rams’ lead and likely prevented the game from going into overtime. Ethan Evans pinned two of his three punts inside the 20 and while there wasn’t much notable in the return game, the Rams did give up a punt return of 13 yards to Isaiah McKenzie.
