Los Angeles Rams Week 8 Positional Grades
October 27, 2018 | Sports,
By Josh Waistman
The Los Angeles Rams took on the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, and after a 39-10 victory,they advanced to 7-0 on the season. Carried by the defense the Rams won handedly. Onto the grades.
Quarterback
Jared Goff was efficient as a passer in the victory. With a completion percentage of 75 percent and two touchdowns to zero interceptions Goff was not great, but he was as good as he needed to be. Grade: B
Offensive LIne
Good pass blocking. Good run blocking. The O-line played good, but not great, in every stage of the game. As a group, they may be one of the best zone blocking lines in the nation. Grade: B+
Receivers
With wide receiver Cooper Kupp out due to an injury, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks have to stepped up their game. These two wide receivers are both legitimate number ones at this point. Expect them to put up ridiculous numbers each week. Grade: B
Running Backs
Backup Malcolm Brown actually had more yards than starter Todd Gurley, but don’t be mistaken- Gurley was still dominant. Gurley added three more touchdowns to his total this year, and is on pace to break Hall-of-Famer Ladainian Tomlinson’s record of 31 in a single season. Grade: B+
Tight Ends
Evan Higbee and Gerald Everett combined for three targets, and one catch for negative five yards. It does not make sense that they are not flourishing under McVay’s offense. Grade: D
Defensive Line
Best heard was sacked seven times in the game, and this was due in large part to the pressure generated by the defensive line. Star defensive end Aaron Donald had four sacks of his own. The 49ers were held to under 200 yards passing. He just didn’t have enough time to throw. Grade: A
Linebackers:
Despite the outstanding performance by the defense as a whole, the linebackers were the weak link. Once again the rams struggled against the run, and it all comes down to the linebackers stepping up. The pass coverage was not bad. Grade: C+
Secondary
Once again, San Francisco quarterback C.J. Beatheard was held to under 200 yards. The 49’ers may not have many weapons on offense, but this was still a stellar game for the secondary. Troy Hill also came down with his first interception. Grade: A
Special Teams
Blake Countess and Jojo Natson both played very well in the return game with Natson showing his skills as a dynamic punt returner. The Rams also benefited from the return of kicker Greg Zuerlein who went 3/3 on field goals, and was perfect on the day. Hekker continues to shine as one of the best punters in the league. Grade: A
Overall
There is much to say against a 29 point victory. The only criticism would be that the offense had to punt three times. Overall, this was one of the Rams most complete games of the season. Grade: A
Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu