Winners & Losers: Rams OL plays cleanest game of season

Rams are back to .500 after beating Patriots

Following a disappointing loss this past Monday night to the Miami Dolphins, the Los Angeles Rams rebounded in a big way to defeat the New England Patriots and move to .500 on the season. Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes to down New England 28-22. LA is in the thick of the NFC playoff picture, though they must continue to keep pace with the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

Who helped the Rams come out of Boston with an important Week 11 victory? Let’s review the contributions on an individual level:

Winners

Offensive line & pass protection

I think this was easily the OL’s cleanest effort on the 2024 season so far. For the third time in the last four games, the big guys up front did not allow a single sack on Stafford. It’s probably no coincidence that two of Stafford’s best individual outings have come in games where he was kept clean.

The running game averaged 5.35 yards per carry with Kyren Williams accounting for 86 of those yards and Blake Corum adding 21.

I don’t think the degree of difficulty was too high against the Patriots. I wrote before the game that most were giving Jerod Mayo’s defensive unit too much credit after a dominating performance against the Chicago Bears. Still, the pass protection was beyond solid today and that is a rising tide that lifted all boats on the offensive side of the ball.

Puka Nacua & Cooper Kupp, WR

It’s hard to have a bad day at the office when your top two receivers surpass 100 yards and each score touchdowns.

Puka Nacua caught seven of nine targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. He did most of his damage in the first half.

Cooper Kupp hauled in six of 10 targets for 106 yards and two touchdown scores. Stafford hit Kupp on a 69-yard catch and run for a score coming out of half time. This was an important play that significantly shifted momentum in the game.

The next closest receiver to this duo in terms of yardage was Tutu Atwell at just 21 yards.

Braden Fiske, DE

The defensive line as a whole consistently generated pressure and made life difficult for rookie Drake Maye. Braden Fiske probably had the best individual day of the bunch. Most importantly, he forced the ball loose from Maye on a strip sack which was recovered by Kobie Turner deep into Patriots territory.

Fiske seems to be hitting his stride around the season midpoint. Recent games against the Seattle Seahawks and Patriots may be his best outings on the season so far.

Fiske finished with three tackles and two sacks.

Matthew Stafford, QB

It was a slow start for Stafford and the offense. The veteran signal caller missed throws on early third downs that killed LA’s first two possessions; however, he hit his stride in the second half and the Rams quickly poured on the points.

Stafford finished 18 of 27 (66.67% completion) for 295 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 142.7. By keeping the ball out of harm’s way, Stafford snaps a six-game streak of throwing an interception.

With the offensive line returning to health and with Kupp and Nacua hitting their strides, I think we can see Stafford turn a corner on the season. However, I said that after his impressive performance against the Minnesota Vikings and then he struggled for the next two games. The Rams need Stafford to be at his best if they are going to truly compete for a playoff berth late into the year.

Kamren Kinchens, DB

Kinchens was already on my radar to make the “winners” list by applying punishing hits from the secondary and having a strong outing in coverage. His game-sealing interception on Maye also cemented his status as a “winner” in this game. The rookie has three interceptions over his last three games and is becoming a mainstay in the secondary.

Ball skills was one of the strongest attributes of Kinchens’ draft profile and that is how he is making his impact over the last few games.

Losers

Jonah Jackson, C

It’s not a good sign for Jackson that he was benched for rookie Beaux Limmer and then the offensive line had its best outing on the season. Jackson struggled in his first game back from injury last week against Miami, and Limmer was much more reliable in the middle of the OL. It’s difficult to see Jackson work his way back into the starting lineup barring an injury to the current group.

That sheds an unfortunate light on the Rams’ free agent investment in Jackson who now can’t crack the starting 11.

Ahkello Witherspoon, CB

Darious Williams and Cobie Durant are playing well. Durant struggles when the team asks him to play from the slot, but he usually makes the most of his opportunities on the outside.

With that in mind, Witherspoon is a clear step down from both of those aforementioned players. It seemed against the Patriots that Witherspoon had the most air in his coverage and allowed New England’s best passing plays.

Corner is probably a position the Rams will have to seriously address heading into 2025.

Josh Karty, K

Rookie kicker Josh Karty missed what should have been an automatic 26-yard field goal that put the final result in doubt. While Karty made all four of his extra point attempts, he’s now missed four field goals over his last seven games. With the Rams facing a narrow margin of error if they want to make the postseason, a missed kick could easily be the difference in the season.

Will the Rams explore potential upgrades at kicker as the back half of the schedule gets into full swing?