Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints will head to Inglewood to face the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. To break it down, Evan Craig of Turf Show Times joins us to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
NJ: Now that Brandon Staley is the Saints’ defensive coordinator, what’s one positive and one negative you experienced with him during his time leading the Rams’ defense?
EC: Brandon Staley was at his best during his time with the Rams by putting his players in the best position to succeed. That is why his 2020 unit finished as the league’s top-ranked defense. Staley knew how to push all the right buttons, and the unit thrived because of it, which was much-needed given Jared Goff’s uneven performance in his final season in Hollywood.
The main issue with Staley is that he often struggled to adapt during his Rams tenure. That much was evident against the Packers in the 2020 Divisional Round. Staley’s unit had absolutely no answers to what Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur were throwing at them, and by the time the Rams attempted to make it a game, it was too late, as the damage was already done. Plus, his struggles in adapting his scheme to simpler terms was part of why things didn’t work out for him with the Chargers and 49ers.
NJ: Do you expect star WR Puka Nacua—who’s expected to return this week from his ankle injury—to handle his usual workload in his first game back? And if not, who’s stepped up alongside Davante Adams in the passing game?
EC: The Rams received good news as Puka Nacua is expected to return this week from the ankle injury that sidelined him for one and a half games. Now, will he handle his usual workload? That is hard to say, considering I expect the coaching staff to break him in gradually as he works his way back. This will be one of those games where he isn’t as productive as he’s typically been this season, but that’s okay since it’s about preserving his health for the long run, not for short-term gain.
Outside of Davante Adams, no other player has really stepped up in that WR3 spot. That’s been an issue all year, because the Rams’ offense has revolved around Matthew Stafford throwing to Puka and Adams. It’s worked wonders so far, but what happens when one of them misses time? We’ve already seen that with Adams forced to step in for Nacua, yet it’s not fair to put everything on one player. Either someone needs to step up, or the front office has to address this problem ahead of the trade deadline.
NJ: Through seven games, what would you say is the Rams’ biggest weakness—and what should New Orleans look to exploit?
EC: To me, the Rams’ biggest weakness is their inability to play a complete game. Against the Jaguars, the team finally managed to play their best game of the season, without Puka,...
