Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams have started 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season after defeating the Tennessee Titans 33-19 on the road. After back-to-back AFC South matchups, the first real test of the season takes place next week against the Philadelphia Eagles. It may not have been the cleanest game against the Titans, but the Rams got the job done and pulled away in the fourth quarter. Here are this week’s 10 takeaways.
For the most part, the Rams defense picked up where it left off in Week 1. The Titans went three-and-out on their opening two drives and up until the final three minutes of the first half, they only managed a field goal. Cam Ward was sacked on two of the opening three possessions and Tony Pollard only had 17 rushing yards to start the game.
It was only the Titans, but the Rams defense continues to show how good it is. For a second straight week, they didn’t allow 20 points. They only gave up three points in the second half and 10 of the 13 points in the first half came with a short field. The Titans only had a 39 percent success rate on offense. Next week is the real test, but this is a group that plays with a lot of energy and they’ve continued to grow since the early season bumps from last year.
In 2018, Robert Woods took a screen pass 52-yards for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-33. It was a play that Woods had no business scoring on, but he did anyway. While a different situation, Puka Nacua’s touchdown against the Titans was just as special. On 4th-and-1, Nacua took a jet sweep 45-yards for a touchdown, running through a cluster of defenders on his way to the end zone.
On Sunday, Nacua eclipsed 200 career receptions and became the second player in NFL history with at least 200 receptions in his first 30 games, joining Odell Beckham Jr. He finished with eight receptions for 91 yards, putting him at 2,697 for his career. He surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth for the third-most receiving yards by a player in his first 30 career games in NFL history, trailing only Beckham Jr. and Justin Jefferson. Whenever the Rams offense needs a play, it seems Nacua is there to make it.
For much of the first half, it felt as if the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford were trying to force an issue with Davante Adams. The Rams went to him four times in the end zone, including two back shoulder fade plays. At one point, he had two catches on eight targets. It makes sense that the Rams would want to get Adams involved, but it needs to come naturally. In the first half, those targets were seemingly forced.
Stafford and Adams seemed to get...
