Canal Street Chronicles
Evan Craig joins us for Week 13 of “Interview with the Enemy.”
This week, the New Orleans Saints will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 of the 2024 regular season. Evan Craig of Turf Show Times joins us to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
NJ: Much like the Saints, the Rams have battled numerous injuries to their offensive line this season. How has Los Angeles managed these vital absences, and how do you expect them to perform against New Orleans after conceding five sacks to Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football?
EC: While the Rams’ offensive line is not quite as bad as it was during the hellish 2022 season, it hasn’t been great this year and injuries are the main culprit as you mentioned. At right tackle, Rob Havenstein has been in and out of the lineup and replaced by a rotation of Joe Noteboom and Warren McClendon. Noteboom has moved all over the place and also helped fill in for second-year starter Steve Avila. High-priced free agent pickup Jonah Jackson has played just three games this season due to a shoulder injury and performed so poorly when on the field that he was replaced by rookie Beaux Limmer. The injury bug has not been kind to the offense whatsoever in 2024.
You’ll see my response below to know my expectations this week, but I have a feeling that the Rams and Matthew Stafford might be in for a long day if they don’t fix the right tackle spot. The team stunk it up left guard, center and right tackle against Philly. Right guard Kevin Dotson is the team’s most reliable presence along the line and is probably the most consistent player on the entire unit. Everywhere else, not so much. Granted, the Saints don’t have the talent along the defensive line that the Eagles do, they can still pose a threat in an area of weakness on the Rams’ O-line.
NJ: A prospect I was high on entering the draft was former Michigan Wolverines RB and Rams 2024 third-round pick Blake Corum. How has he looked during his rookie season, and does the backfield duo of Corum and Kyren Williams look destined to terrorize the league for years to come?
EC: There doesn’t appear to be any terrorizing in the Rams’ future anytime soon considering Blake Corum has rarely seen the field this season, which has been a major disappointment. Like you, I was incredibly high on the Michigan product because I envisioned Sean McVay would create a two-headed monster in the run game. That has not happened at all as Corum has just 29 carries on the year for 106 yards and no touchdowns. Against the Eagles on Sunday, Corum played only six snaps and had one touch compared to 58 snaps and 16 rushing attempts for Kyren Williams. The veteran back has a concerning fumbling issue which is something to monitor moving forward as he’s had four in his last four games. Simply put, Corum deserves...
