Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams have lost four games this season and all four of them have one thing in common. This is a team that has too often disappeared in the fourth quarter when it matters most. That was the complete opposite in 2021 when the Rams won the Super Bowl
A common them in all four of the Rams’ losses is that the offense had a chance to take the lead or tie the game late. While Stafford had three fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives in 2021, he has just one this season against the Indianapolis Colts.
In the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Josh Karty’s game-winning kick was blocked. After Stafford led the offense to the one-yard line against the San Francisco 49ers, Kyren Williams fumbled at the goal line when a touchdown would have given the Rams the lead. With the offense in field goal range against the Carolina Panthers, Stafford fumbled. Finally, last week against the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams blew a 16-point lead as the offense went three-and-out multiple times and Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal.
The defense has had moments. They held their ground in the Week 1 win to the Houston Texans and got the game-clinching interception against the Indianapolis Colts. The defense forced the Seahawks to use clock and settle for a 61-yard field goal in Week 11 that was missed. However, there are stretches in the fourth quarter where the defense tends to disappear.
The Rams defense was built to thrive in situations in which they are leading by double-digits and can unleash the pass rush. With that said, too often this season, that’s when teams have had the most success. Because teams are having to throw the ball more from behind, it has left the secondary more vulnerable, especially if the pass rush isn’t getting home.
Oddly enough, this is when the Rams defense has seemingly struggled the most. They’ve struggled with a positive game script. While they still do well in third-and-long situation, they haven’t found that same success when having a lead. When teams are forced to throw on early downs and play catch-up, they are having success. Jalen Hurts hadn’t thrown for over 200 yards or a single touchdown pass. Hurts eclipsed 200 yards against the Rams while throwing three second half touchdowns. The ethos of the defense is to limit explosive plays. Yet, the fourth quarter is when they are allowing them the most. The Rams defense has allowed a 36.9 percent explosive play rate in the fourth quarter and overtime.
This isn’t to say that this Rams team isn’t great because they’ve faltered late in close games. The Rams are 4-4 in one-score games this season. It’s almost more impressive that in a league that prides itself on close games, the Rams haven’t found themselves in those situations often. Since the bye week, the Rams have won games by an average of 17.3 points.
Stafford may not have his fourth quarter comebacks...
