Turf Show Times
A win is a win—no matter how ugly.
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens on the road 17-3 and moved to 4-2 on the season. It was an effort led by the defense, and Nate Landman finished with a franchise record 17 tackles.
Let’s take a look at the top five players on each side of the ball according to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) game grades along with a few additional notes.
I will preface all the offensive line grades with a note that the Ravens do not have much of a pass rush. PFF grades do not account for strength of competition, so it’s not surprising to see three linemen crack the top five.
With that said, it’s time to have a difficult conversation. Rob Havestein is one of the worst tackles in the NFL this season by nearly any measure. Warren McClendon has filled in for two games and performed better than Haventein has at any point this year. The Rams must ask themselves in McClendon should be the starter moving forward, which does make sense for the future since he’s on a cost-controlled rookie deal and Havenstein is slated to become a free agent this offseason.
McClendon graded better in run blocking than in pass protection at 82.3 and 60.2, respectively. He did not allow a single pressure on Matthew Stafford.
The most impressive aspect of Williams’ game on Sunday was a 90.6 receiving grade, likely bolstered by his 30-yard downfield catch to move the chains on fourth down and give LA the ball in the red zone. We don’t often see the Rams take downfield shot to Williams, but this play came in a high leverage situation and was one of the most important individual moments on the day.
As a rusher Williams created 33 yards after contact (2.54 per rush). Both he and Blake Corum each had rushes for over ten yards.
Dotson allowed one pressure and earned an average pass blocking grade of 55.9. He made his mark in the run game and drew a grade of 76.3.
One of the most underdiscussed Rams this season has been Alaric Jackson. He’s performing at the bar he set last year before the Rams rewarded him with a multi-year contract extension. He was near-elite in pass protection in this game at 85.6 and did not allow a single pressure. You have to give credit for not letting his play dip after cashing in on a big deal.
Higbee was the Rams’ leading receiver with just 40 yards. He also led the team in receptions with four on the same amount of targets, and was tied with Davante Adams (who received more than double the targets of Higbee at nine). Most importantly, the...
