When you get crushed by 21 points, there aren’t many positives to take away from the loss. For the Rams, only two players stood out in a meaningfully positive way. A handful of players were on the wrong end of things, too, which landed them designations as “duds” in the team’s 31-10 loss to the Chargers.
Buy Rams TicketsWe picked just two studs and three duds in this week’s loss, which was a second-half drubbing at SoFi Stadium, with the Rams getting outscored 14-0 in the final two quarters.
Stud: Cam Akers
This was yet another outstanding performance by Akers, and it could’ve been even better if not for an attempted one-handed catch that was dropped in the first quarter. He rushed for more than 100 yards for the second week in a row, finishing with 123 yards on 19 carries. He also had a fantastic blitz pickup in the third quarter to give Baker Mayfield time to find Brycen Hopkins for a big gain, completely wiping the blitzing Nasir Adderley out of the play. Akers is looking every bit like the Rams’ starting running back in 2023.
.@Itsbhop89 with the grab!
📺 @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/clTO5aiFKN
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 1, 2023
Stud: Van Jefferson
Jefferson had his best game of the season, making big play after big play. He caught three passes for 77 yards, leading the team in receiving. He’s endured a tough year of injuries and constant quarterback changes, but it’s good to see him continuing to compete and play at a high level at wide receiver. The Rams have needed him, too, with all the injuries they’ve suffered at that position.
That 1️⃣7️⃣ ➡️ 1️⃣2️⃣ connection!
📺 @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/J5BNK0hPLq
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 1, 2023
Dud: Taylor Rapp
Rapp struggled in this one. He took a poor angle on Austin Ekeler’s 72-yard touchdown run and was out of position in coverage a couple of times, not giving much help over the top from his safety spot. In the fourth quarter, he was beat by Donald Parham for a touchdown, which put the Chargers up 31-10. He’s had some positive moments this season but also plenty of bad ones, and it’s becoming unlikely that the Rams will re-sign him in the offseason as a free agent.
Dud: Troy Hill
Mike Williams took advantage of his matchup with the smaller corner several times, making an especially impressive juggling catch along the right sideline in the third quarter. He attempted to make an arm tackle on Ekeler’s 72-yard touchdown run, too, but it barely slowed the running back down, allowing him to continue on his path to the end zone.
Dud: Baker Mayfield
After picking apart the Broncos’ defense on Christmas, Mayfield followed it up with a forgettable performance against the Chargers on Sunday. He finished the day 11 of 19 for 132 yards and a lost fumble, failing to throw a single touchdown pass. His pocket awareness wasn’t great either, failing to feel the pressure on the play where he was sacked and lost the fumble. It doesn’t help that he was under constant duress, but he didn’t do enough to make up for the poor protection.
