The Los Angeles Rams escaped Sunday night with a 20-17 overtime win over the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs to move on and play in the NFC Championship Game.
The Los Angeles Rams escaped Sunday night with a 20-17 overtime win over the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs to move on and play in the NFC Championship Game.
Offensively, after the first drive, the Rams struggled for a lot of the game, but they did just enough to get the job done.
Stafford went 20/42 for 258, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, two fumbles (he recovered one, and Kyren Williams recovered the other one), and was sacked four times. Stafford made all the throws he had to, but the Bears were able to heat him a lot and mess with the protections, which created lots of pressures and sacks, which stalled the LA offense.
The two biggest performers in the pass game were Puka Nacua and Colby Parkinson. Parkinson totaled three receptions for 56 yards and was a great option all night, making contested catches. Nacua hauled in five catches for 56 yards as well, and when the game was on the line, Stafford went back to him, and Nacua moved the chains on a key third down.
Davante Adams also had two very important catches, the second one was on the sideline and a very tight throw from Stafford in overtime, which was able to move the chains and get the ball into field goal range for Los Angeles.
On the ground, the Rams totaled 111 yards on 31 carries, 3.6 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. Williams was the main back with 21 carries for 87 yards, an average of 4.1 yards per carry, and punched in both scores.
Los Angeles abandoned the run game in the first half, but when they were able to establish it in the second half, that became the key to keeping the offense flowing and securing the win.
After that great drive from Stafford and the offense, it set up a game-winning opportunity for first-year kicker Harrison Mevis. Mevis drilled the 42-yard game-winning field goal to send the Rams to the NFC Championship Game.
For the game, Mevis went 2/2 on field goals and 2/2 on extra points, also having a 32-yard field goal before the half to knot the game at 10-10. Mevis has a lot of confidence going into the most important game of his career and will look to redeem himself, as Seattle is the only stadium where he has missed a kick. Kickers will be very important this coming weekend.
Defensively, the Rams’ pass defense was massively improved this week. LA forced Caleb Williams into 23/42, 257 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, but were not able to sack him one time.
Williams' unique playstyle created one of the most memorable plays in Chicago playoff history when he ran backwards to outrun the pass rush of LA, and he threw the ball up, and it landed in the hands of tight end Cole Kmet to tie the game at 17-17.
In overtime, however, Williams cost his team on a miscommunication with his receiver, DJ Moore, as Kam Curl intercepted the pass to get the ball back to Stafford.
Los Angeles did have some trouble handling Colston Loveland and Moore as receivers in the pass game. Loveland went for five catches and 54 yards, and Moore hauled in five passes for 52 yards and one score.
Rome Odunze and Kmet also caused some problems. Odunze hauled in two catches for 44 yards, and Kmet had three receptions for 31 yards, and the late touchdown.
On the ground, the Bears actually ran the ball very well against a stout Rams’ rush defense. Chicago totaled 39 carries for 160 yards, and 4.1 yards per attempt. Swift led the way with 19 carries for 76 yards, and throughout the game, really tired out LA.
Williams was able to break containment quite a bit as he added five rushes for 40 yards, and this really devastated the defense at times. As the game got later, Kyle Monangai’s power wore Los Angeles out and created consistent runs, while his average wouldn’t indicate that. He had a total of 13 carries for 36 yards on 2.8 yards per carry.
The Rams were able to squeak out a win, but the run defense and quarterback contain must improve if they want to get to the Super Bowl. Also, Stafford and the offense must find a way to get into a rhythm a lot faster and get the ball to their playmakers in a tough road environment upcoming.
Their NFC Championship Game opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, had a start-to-finish dominant performance against the San Francisco 49ers.
The game started with Rashid Shaheed taking a kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown to get the crowd going and really make the 49ers feel they had no chance in this game.
Offensively, Sam Darnold and the air attack didn’t do a lot, but they did take advantage of San Francisco's turnovers and made the throws when he had to.
Darnold ended with 12/17, 106 yards, one touchdown, and was sacked twice. His top weapons were Cooper Kupp, Kenneth Walker, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo.
Kupp hauled in five passes for 60 yards, Walker contributed three catches for 29 yards, Smith-Njigba added three receptions for 19 yards and the lone touchdown, with Bobo adding his lone catch for 16 yards. The pass game will need to be a lot more productive next week.
The Seattle run game won the game for them in the divisional round. The run game went for 33 carries, 175 yards, 5.3 yards per carry, and three touchdowns. Walker led the way, totaling 116 yards on 19 carries and three scores.
Unfortunately, Walker’s partner, Zach Charbonnet, will be out for the rest of the playoffs with a knee injury. So Seattle must look for someone to partner with Walker on the ground.
Jason Myers continued his excellent kicking year. He went 2/2 on field goals and 5/5 on extra points. The deeper into the playoffs we get, kicking will be key, and having a veteran like him will be great for Seattle.
The Seahawks’ defense was dominant, and San Francisco couldn't do much of anything all night long.
The pass game for the 49ers never really got going. Brock Purdy completed 15/27 passes for 124 yards, one interception, and was sacked twice. Purdy never got into a rhythm, and it showed the entire game. Purdy also fumbled once and lost it, creating another turnover.
The only issues the Seahawks had were covering Jake Tonges and Christian McCaffrey as backs and tight ends. Tonges hauled five passes for 59 yards, and McCaffrey went for five for 39 yards.
Covering tight ends and backs at times can be difficult, so these will be matchups that will be crucial for this week and going forward.
Seattle also did a tremendous job stopping the run against the running backs of San Francisco and the team as a whole. They held the 49ers to 27 rushes for 107 yards and 4.0 yards per carry.
McCaffrey was held to 11 carries for 35 yards and an average of 3.2 yards per rush. Purdy ended up being the team’s leading rusher on his scrambles, as he ran five times for 37 yards on 7.4 yards per attempt.
The Seahawks forced three fumbles, recovered two of them, and intercepted Purdy once. Their defense created a clear advantage in the turnover margin.
The strength of the Seahawks and their ability to stop the run could create a lot of problems for LA, and will definitely be something to watch for, one game away from the Super Bowl.
For the LA defense versus the Seattle offense, the first major key is going to be the ability for which team can win at the line of scrimmage and dominate in the run game. In the Week 16 game, the Seahawks won this matchup; Los Angeles must change that.
Over the last three games, Seattle has averaged 172.7 rush yards per game, which is second best in the league and clearly has been a point of emphasis. The Rams over their last three are allowing 107.3 rushing yards per game over their last three, which ranks 12th in the NFL and clearly will need to improve.
The line of scrimmage often determines championships, so one team must step up. This will be a very intriguing aspect of the game on Sunday.
For the Los Angeles offense, they must protect Stafford better than they did on Sunday night because this Seahawks defensive line and defense as a whole will take notes from Chicago and bring pressure in hopes of disrupting Stafford.
They must do this better than they did in Week 16 when LA scored 37 points.
Seattle generates pressures at a 39.9% clip, which ranks sixth and is no group to mess around with. On the other side, the Rams allow pressure at just a 32.2% rate, which is fourth least and has been a solid unit all year long.
Across the board, Los Angeles has one of the best offensive lines, so this task for the Seahawks will be no easy one, and if they want any chance in this game, this is a matchup they have to win.
For Seattle’s offense, if they struggle running the ball and get into third and long, they must protect Darnold against a Rams’ pass rush that generates pressure fourth most at 41.6%. The main matchup to look at is going to be right guard Anthony Bradford versus the interior rushers of LA in Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske.
Bradford has a pass blocking grade of 40.8, which ranks 76th/81 guards. He has also allowed 28 pressures (57th/81 guards) and three sacks (48th/81 guards) this season, which clearly makes him the weak link for the Seahawks. If he steps up and provides protection for Darnold, it may be just enough to get the ball to the Seattle playmakers.
However, Darnold has struggled under pressure at times in his career, and this season has turned the ball over quite a bit.
Darnold and Seattle have played cleaner over the last three games, only turning it over 0.7 times per game, which is the 10th least. The Rams’ defense has really ramped up over its last three games and forced 2.3 turnovers per game, which ranks third, playing at an elite level.
One of these has to give, and Sunday’s outcome will have a lot to do with who wins the turnover margin.
Speaking of the Seahawks’ playmaker,s the most important one is Smith-Njigba, who has some success against LA in his career.
Smith-Njigba has averaged 5.7 receptions on 9.0 targets, 73.8 receiving yards, and 0.5 touchdowns per game against the Rams.
LA must be able to find ways to move coverages and take him off the board so Darnold gets to his next read, because without Smith-Njigba, this could be a tough day for the Seattle pass offense.
An x-factor for Seattle will be their explosive trade deadline addition, Shaheed, who has been making explosive plays all season. He had a kick return touchdown as mentioned last week to begin the game. Also, Shaheed had a punt return touchdown in Week 16, which completely turned the game around. So, his imprint on the game could do a lot for momentum.
It will also be interesting to see the battle of kickers in Myers versus Mevis, and who can make the big pressure kicks, or if both will. This game may come down to a clutch kick, and both of these kickers are prepared to make it.
For LA, their pass offense has clearly been their strength all season, and they must get it humming better than it was in the divisional round. If they can protect Stafford, it will come down to their weapons performing.
LA has been in a rhythm and ranks first in passing yards per game, averaging 267.4. The Seahawks’ defense will have something to say about that, as they are the eighth-best passing defense, allowing 190.3 pass yards per game this season.
This season, Seattle limited the Rams to 130 passing yards, but in the second matchup, Stafford dominated with 457 passing yards.
In the third matchup of the year, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. It is also important to note that in his career against Seattle, Nacua has dominated. Nacua averages 7.0 catches on 10.0 targets, 100.0 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns per game versus the Seahawks defense.
The final key to the game will be the Rams' run game and ability to blend personnel groupings to keep Seattle guessing and having to match their personnel. If LA can stick with the run game, this game will not have to completely sit on the shoulders of Stafford.
The Seahawks have been one of the stoutest run defenses in the NFL, allowing 92.6 rushing yards per game, which puts them second. It is no easy task against this defense.
LA, when they stick with the rushing attack, has been fairly consistent in averaging 125.2 rush yards per game, which ranks 10th. LA just has to be consistent and stick with it, even if it gets tough at times.
In the Week 16 game, Seattle won the matchup in terms of yards per carry, limited to 3.2, so the Rams will need to find creative ways to open lanes for Williams and Corum.
With all of these matchups, this is clearly going to be one of the greatest playoff games in recent history, with both teams having strengths and weaknesses. This is a very tough game to predict.
I believe LA will protect Stafford, find creative ways to run the ball, get the ball to Nacua and Adams, shut down the Seahawks' run game, and force Darnold into a few too many mistakes. My prediction is that the Rams will win 34-27.
This is going to be a very memorable game, and you don’t want to miss it. So, get your food ready with your friends and family, and tune in on Sunday at 3:30 EST on FOX for one of the best games of the season.
Category: General Sports
