Los Angeles Rams Notebook: Secondary Woes Waste Big Days From Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp
It took an extra quarter, but the Baltimore Ravens beat the visiting Los Angeles Rams 37-31. An overtime punt return from receiver Tylan Wallace ended Week 14’s festivities, but not before the stars showed out.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was phenomenal, but Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looked the part, too. At least offensively, both teams’ best players came out to play.
Los Angeles’ loss drops it to 6-7 and puts a serious dent in its playoff chances. However, the Rams have had their backs against the wall before and lived to see another day. How the team adjusts in the wake of the loss could be as meaningful as the loss itself.
What did we learn from Sunday’s action?
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates with wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) after scoring a second quarter touchdown during the at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
1. Superstars win games. Baltimore’s were better.
Los Angeles certainly made this one a game, but in a closely contested battle, it was the superstar who won the game. Jackson was the best player on the field and it wasn’t particularly close.
He completed 24-of-43 passes for 316 yards, three scores, and an interception. He was operating well downfield, gashing the defense for explosive plays seemingly left and right. Late in the game, he marched down the field with timely completions and clutch plays.
Where he made an even bigger impact may have been on the ground. Jackson was Baltimore’s leading rusher, posting 11 attempts for 70 yards. His ability to evade sacks time and time again meant death by a thousand cuts for Los Angeles’ defense. He was sacked just twice despite fairly consistent pressure and moved the chains multiple times with his legs.
Jackson’s ability to drift outside the pocket and make himself disappear with defenders collapsing is exhausting to defend and an immeasurable aspect of the Ravens' offense. On Sunday, it was critical to Baltimore’s success.
2. The secondary’s run came to an end.
It looked for a couple of weeks like the Rams’ secondary was beginning to gel. The Seattle Seahawks were held to just 16 points and didn’t have any trouble against the Arizona Cardinals. They continued to play well against the Cleveland Browns, but none of those passing offenses have been particularly strong this year.
The Ravens were a different beast, even without elite receivers. As such, coverage busts became more frequent, and big plays reared their head.
Tight end Isaiah Likely had a 54-yard score and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. hauled in a 46-yard grab.
The miscommunications were only emphasized by the frustration that comes with containing Jackson and the receivers at the same time. It was a referendum on how far the unit has come—not as far as the last few weeks indicated.
Expect the Rams to accelerate the young defense’s development by spending legitimate resources on the back end this offseason.
3. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua showed out.
Los Angeles entered Sunday with two star receivers: one dealing with an ankle injury and the other coming off of an AC joint sprain.
The former, Cooper Kupp, went for eight catches and 115 yards, hauling in key passes late in the game and scoring a touchdown. Puka Nacua joined him in impressing the football world with five catches and 84 yards, including an awesome diving catch.
When operating at full strength the two are arguably the best receiving duo in the league. Even though they were banged up, they delivered the results expected of such an esteemed pairing.
The Rams needed their stars to show up if they were going to have a chance. Their excellence made Los Angeles a threat to perhaps the top team in the AFC and should provide some optimism that there’s enough firepower in this offense to pull off a playoff run.
