The Los Angeles Rams dropped to 2-3 on the year Sunday when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-14. The offense went ice cold in the second half after taking a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, and the defense simply couldn’t get off the field on third down; Philadelphia went 13-for-18 against the Rams on third down.
As we do each week, we graded every position group from the Rams’ game on Sunday, rating how each unit performed – from the quarterback to the special teams group.
Quarterback: B-
Matthew Stafford didn’t have a bad game by any means and he didn’t turn it over a single time, but he also wasn’t great. He missed too many throws that could’ve changed the outcome of the game, including a potential 63-yarder to Tutu Atwell for a touchdown. Drops by wide receivers didn’t help but Stafford was just a little bit off at times during the loss.
Running back: B
Kyren Williams did the most that he could with what he was given. The offensive line let defenders come through the line rather quickly, but he did a nice job making defenders miss by forcing four missed tackles on only 13 attempts. His bad chip block on Hasson Reddick late in the fourth quarter was a mistake that Sean McVay was frustrated by, but that didn’t outweigh a decent performance.
Wide receiver: B+
Cooper Kupp had a fantastic 2023 debut, looking every bit like the receiver he’s always been. His timing with Stafford was slightly off a few times, but his route running was great and he didn’t drop a pass. Puka Nacua had a really nice game, too, catching a 22-yard touchdown pass from Stafford, but he did drop two passes. Tutu Atwell was a non-factor besides his 3-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive.
Tight end: C+
Tyler Higbee caught two passes for 20 yards, but one of them went for 12 yards on the Rams’ final drive of the game, which was meaningless. Brycen Hopkins barely played and didn’t catch a pass, so it was another quiet game for him behind Higbee.
Offensive line: C+
The Rams allowed a total of 17 pressures, all by the offensive line. The run blocking wasn’t great against a stout defensive line, either. Stafford did a nice job avoiding pressure when he could but the Eagles still got home for four sacks and they hit Stafford eight times in total.
Defensive line: C
Aaron Donald was uncharacteristically quiet on Sunday, failing to record a single sack or QB hit. He only had one pressure, too, which was his lowest output of the season. Kobie Turner, Jonah Williams and Bobby Brown III were relatively quiet, as well, particularly from a pass-rush standpoint. The defensive line as a whole had a hard time bottling up D’Andre Swift.
Inside linebacker: A-
Ernest Jones was everywhere. He had 15 tackles, three tackles for a loss and four pressures on just 12 blitzes, flying all over the field making plays against the run. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much help from Christian Rozeboom, who missed one tackle and had a 28.2 defensive grade, according to PFF.
Outside linebacker: C-
The Rams need more from their edge rushers. It’s not a great sign that Zach VanValkenburg was their most productive edge rusher despite being a backup, though Byron Young tied for the team lead with four pressures. Michael Hoecht was a disaster in coverage again and struggled as a pass rush, once again raising questions about his significant role at outside linebacker.
Cornerback: C
Derion Kendrick had a tough time against A.J. Brown, committing two costly penalties before halftime that helped the Eagles score a quick touchdown to take the lead. Ahkello Witherspoon was awesome and picked off his second pass of the season, but that was the lone bright spot with Cobie Durant also struggling, especially as a tackler on third down; he missed two key tackles.
Safety: C+
Jordan Fuller missed one tackle and Russ Yeast had two misses of his own, allowing the Eagles to pick up yards after the catch and after contact. Fuller made a great play on a deep pass, which he forced an incompletion on, but the overall play from the safeties could’ve been better.
Special teams: B+
Ethan Evans had a booming 65-yard punt and averaged 53.8 yards per boot, once again showing off his powerful leg as a rookie. Brett Maher didn’t attempt a field goal and made both of his PATs, so it was a quiet day from him.
