Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams will travel across the pond to play in London for the first time since 2019. On that day, the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-10, but this time around, they’ll play the Jacksonville Jaguars. What was once considered an easy game on the Rams’ schedule has become more difficult. Both teams come into this game sitting at 4-2.
This will be early game, starting at 9:30 a.m. ET, which is 6:30 a.m. on the West Coast. The Rams spent the week in Baltimore to hopefully help with the time adjustment. For a team that has struggled with slow starts, adjusting to the time difference will be crucial. West Coast teams playing an East Coast opponent in Europe in that early time slot are 0-2. Let’s get to this week’s keys to victory.
The Jaguars lead the NFL in turnovers this season on defense which includes a league-high 10 interceptions. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has done well this season, throwing just two interceptions. His last interception came in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. It won’t help that the Rams will be without wide receiver Puka Nacua. However, that’s all the more reason not to be too aggressive on offense. If the Rams can keep things simple and remain efficient, it could be enough.
This is how the Seattle Seahawks approached the Jaguars in Week 6. Sam Darnold completed under 60 percent of his passes, but was 8-for-10 for 64 yards in passes under 10 yards. The Seahawks took their chances when they became available, but also didn’t force it. The Jaguars’ defense has allowed the seventh-lowest completion percentage on downfield passes this season. Darnold was comfortable taking the safe throws underneath and Stafford will need to be as well.
With Liam Coen running the offense, 52.9 percent of Trevor Lawrence’s yards have come after the catch. The Jaguars receivers have forced the fifth-most missed tackles per reception. Because of this, they have the 10th most yards after the catch over expected and average 5.2 yards after the catch. Additionally, Travis Etienne has gained 2.0 yards before contact and has been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on just 36 percent of his attempts.
For the most part, the Rams have done well this season in minimizing yards after the catch. However, the Rams’ secondary can certainly be exploited in this regard, especially at cornerback. The Rams defense has allowed on average 4.6 yards after the catch per reception this season which is the sixth-best. However, in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, they allowed 5.79. The Rams’ safeties have to be ready to tackle in the middle of the field.
Trevor Lawrence has certainly looked better this season, but he is still susceptible to making mistakes. That’s especially the case when he’s under pressure. Under pressure this season, Lawrence has a -0.45 EPA per dropback. This...
