Turf Show Times
The 1-0 Los Angeles Rams will try to earn their first road win of the 2025 season when they face off against the 0-1 Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Over the course of Sean McVay’s nine seasons his teams have earned a reputation for being “Road Warriors”. They’ll gear up for another clash against a Titans team trying to find their way with first year quarterback Cam Ward. Meanwhile, the Rams will continue to rely on the arm (and back) of Matthew Stafford. Who has the edge in this one and where? Here is a head-to-head breakdown of each team’s position group entering Sunday.
QB Breakdown: Matthew Stafford will be playing his 224th game on Sunday. Last week, he looked like he was in midseason form despite missing all of training camp. After Week 1, he was the rated the No. 1 overall quarterback by PFF having made five big time throws against the Texans defense. The only reason, I don’t have him higher on the meter is the career body of work, where Stafford has been known to sputter. But his clutch factor is one of the league’s best too. Meanwhile, Cam Ward will be playing his 2nd game. There’s just not enough of an NFL resume to make an informed assessment. Ward’s dual threat ability gives him some threat level.
RB Breakdown: Kyren Williams had a very mediocre game last week against the Texans. Over the last two seasons, he has filled up the box score despite his questionable efficiency. His lack of explosiveness is still apparent but his nose for the endzone can’t be undervalued. One area that doesn’t get talked about enough is Kyren’s pass protection. He had a number of key blitz pick ups against a strong HOU pass rush. Tony Pollard is the Titans running back and has been a steady hand the last few years. He doesn’t carry the merit of the league’s best backs but he is an efficient runner averaging a career 4.6 yards/carry.
WRs Breakdown: The Rams wide receivers may be the best in the league. Puka Nacua has been unstoppable in his first 29 games of his career. His physicality has yet to be matched by opposing defenses. Even when he is banged up, he still produces eye-popping numbers. Then as a running mate, Nacua has Davante Adams working in the “X” role. The Rams playmakers can attack across the middle, outside the numbers, and downfield (Tutu Atwell and Xavier Smith). They are a handful. The Titans WR group is composed of Calvin Ridley, Eric Ayomanor, and Van Jefferson. All you need to know here is that Ridley is 30 years old, Ayomanor is a rookie, and Jefferson is on his fourth team in three years.
TEs Breakdown: There isn’t a real difference maker in the Rams tight end room. They just have a lot of depth; rotating them in to keep fresh legs and bodies. Colby Parkinson will be out for this game because of a...
