Turf Show Times
It was a tale of two halves for the Los Angeles Rams this weekend against the Tennessee Titans. LA took care of business on the road and came home with a 33-19 victory. They move to 2-0 on the season and are tied for first place in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
Who stood out on an individual level in this game? Let’s dive into the grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
With Colby Parkinson inactive for Week 2 because of injury, Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson saw increased roles on Sunday afternoon. Allen played 25 snaps (18 in run blocking) to Ferguson’s four (three as a receiver). It’s clear that Allen is the replacement for Parkinson and Ferguson is more the understudy to Tyle Higbee. Allen has an argument to replace Parkinson when healthy, as he earned a PFF run blocking grade of 80.6 (third on the offense behind Alaric Jackson and Coleman Shelton).
Even with only four passing snaps, Allen made a key play through the air and connected with Matthew Stafford for a touchdown. It was his second in as many weeks and the third-year TE leads the team.
Stafford tossed the ball in Adams’ direction often in the first half and he finished with 12 targets. The results were mixed which played a big part of the offensive struggles through two or three quarters. The Rams found their stride in the fourth quarter on their way to a decisive outcome.
Adams finished with six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. He played eight snaps in the slot and mostly aligned out wide. His average depth of target of 13.0 yards shows he’s still capable of being a vertical threat into his 30’s.
On a disappointing note, Adams hauled in only one of his five contested catch targets and finished with a drop.
Nacua started the game off with a bang by rushing for a 45-yard touchdown. This rushing attempt was longer than any rush Kyren Williams has recorded in his Rams career.
Compared to Adams, Nacua was the more efficient receiving option. He caught eight of his nine targets for 91 yards.
Growing into his role as one of the Rams’ most important players, Jackson fared well in both run and pass blocking in this game. LA’s left tackle led the team with a run blocking mark of 83.7. He was above average as a pass protector and drew a mark of 70.7 while allowing two pressures.
The Rams in total allowed ten pressures on Stafford with Kevin Dotson allowing three.
We can expect inconsistency from Stafford. Simply put, it is a defining characteristic of his career.
While he was elite last week against Houston, he came back...
