Turf Show Times
It always feels cathartic after a stinging loss to take a step back and review the Pro Football Focus (PFF) from an objective perspective. I give my initial reaction in “Winners & Losers” and that is mostly based off of raw emotion. The grades allow us to take the game as a whole and dive in to attribute blame in losses and credit in wins.
Let’s get started. How did the Los Angeles Rams lose to the short-handed San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night?
I usually do not add players to the list who played less than five snaps. Terrance Ferguson was in for four plays and I am making an exception this week to prove a point.
Ferguson caught his first NFL pass for 21 yards. It was his only target on Thursday night despite Tyler Higbee sitting this game out because of injury. Davis Allen also caught two passes for 24 yards, though he and Colby Parkinson earned PFF receiving grades of 58.2 and 48.6, respectively.
Ferguson showed incredible fight for the ball to win on a contested catch. He was a non-factor the rest of this game. Why are we giving the Rams too much slack when they refuse to give this rookie more opportunities?
The grades don’t necessarily bear this out, but I think this was one of Matthew Stafford’s best games during his time with the Rams. The box score reflect that he threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns. His adjusted completion percentage was even better after accounting for two drops and a throwaway for a final mark of 71.1%.
Stafford kept the ball out of harm’s way with zero turnover-worthy plays and two big-time throws.
The one constant in the Los Angeles offense is Nacua. He wasn’t productive down the field in this game, and really hasn’t been for the season (at least as much as we are used to). Against the 49ers he caught 10 of 12 targets, maintaining his impressive catch rate, for 85 yards and a score.
This is a story that keeps getting weirder. Steve Avila was healthy and active for the second game in a row and contributing on special teams. Dedich got the start again at left guard and for consecutive weeks earned a spot in the top five grades on offense. He earned a near-elite run blocking grade of 87.0 and a pass blocking grade of 60.3.
Whittington caught two of three targets for 33 yards. Similar to Ferguson, why is the second-year receiver not getting more looks in the offense? His catch and run ability is admirable.
To no one’s surprise, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum held up the rear in offensive grades.
Williams was a liability in pass...
