Rams Vikings

[MDY10]

Seems we’re all thinking the same thing here. This game was amazing except for the interceptions. The offense needs to figure out these turnovers because 3 picks in the playoffs will be a quick loss. Every time we lose it’s because we’re spotting the other team 14-21 points. It can’t happen. 
 

The defense has been on fire and hopefully special teams can continue to make some plays. I literally screamed “SPECIAL TEAMS!?” During that return 😂

[stl4life07]

14 minutes ago, MDY10 said:

Seems we’re all thinking the same thing here. This game was amazing except for the interceptions. The offense needs to figure out these turnovers because 3 picks in the playoffs will be a quick loss. Every time we lose it’s because we’re spotting the other team 14-21 points. It can’t happen. 
 

The defense has been on fire and hopefully special teams can continue to make some plays. I literally screamed “SPECIAL TEAMS!?” During that return 😂

I was looking to see if a flag would be thrown on special teams 😂 it’s like the norm these days in the NFL especially for the Rams. Great impact play that helped the Rams grab back momentum and keep it.

 

 

[NVRamsFan]

Ernest Jones has a high ankle sprain from yesterday. Stinks but it could have been worse.

[rocky_rams]

19 hours ago, LeotheLion said:

He might have been worse. He could have had 5-6 picks. It was a lot of really bad decisions and a lot of underthrows to OBJ. Was unlucky with 1 pick on a batted ball but the rest were tough to understand what he was thinking. 

That’s disappointing. Dude is very hot and cold. 
 

Hate the fact that he’s so streaky because we gave up too much to get him. Goff was streaky too and we brought in Stafford because we wanted more consistency. 
 

he has to be better. Lucky we won the game 

[MDY10]

5 hours ago, rocky_rams said:

That’s disappointing. Dude is very hot and cold. 
 

Hate the fact that he’s so streaky because we gave up too much to get him. Goff was streaky too and we brought in Stafford because we wanted more consistency. 
 

he has to be better. Lucky we won the game 

I agree. I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the year that we can’t afford these inconsistencies. It’s hard to get excited about a 3 game win streak when you’re almost guaranteed a bad game or two to follow. In the playoffs we have no shot if there’s a game like the Vikings. Just 6 good games is all we need!! 

[LeotheLion]

59 minutes ago, MDY10 said:

I agree. I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the year that we can’t afford these inconsistencies. It’s hard to get excited about a 3 game win streak when you’re almost guaranteed a bad game or two to follow. In the playoffs we have no shot if there’s a game like the Vikings. Just 6 good games is all we need!! 

I would have thought this but I now think the defense, special teams, and running game is playing well enough to potentially afford a bad Stafford game. Obviously won't be ideal but this was the most decisive Vikings loss of the season and it happened with a shuffling OL and 3 bad Stafford turnovers. Almost gives me more hope because it was the first time all year it looked like the rest of the team was playing up to its potential besides the passing game.

[MDY10]

2 hours ago, LeotheLion said:

I would have thought this but I now think the defense, special teams, and running game is playing well enough to potentially afford a bad Stafford game. Obviously won't be ideal but this was the most decisive Vikings loss of the season and it happened with a shuffling OL and 3 bad Stafford turnovers. Almost gives me more hope because it was the first time all year it looked like the rest of the team was playing up to its potential besides the passing game.

I totally agree. I just would much rather not see another 3 INT game because the chances of winning those are slim. I understand one INT but every time we lose it’s because we spotted the opponent 14-21 points. 

[LeotheLion]

4 minutes ago, MDY10 said:

I totally agree. I just would much rather not see another 3 INT game because the chances of winning those are slim. I understand one INT but every time we lose it’s because we spotted the opponent 14-21 points. 

I think my biggest frustrations with Stafford is less about the turnovers and more about his decision making. He just doesn't play winning football at times. I thought one of his worst plays yesterday was at the end of the first half when there was about 25 seconds left on the 12 yard line and he threw that ball to Kupp in triple coverage and was very fortunate the Vikings dropped the pick. When you have a FG in your back pocket with a lead at the end of the half that is not the time to roll the dice. And his 2nd pick to Van Jefferson was on a 2nd and 5. If that is 3rd down then I can understand taking a chance but at best he was throwing into double coverage. The hit he took impacted the throw but it's such a low probability play to make in that situation with a 10 point lead. That was an opportunity coming out of the half to really grab hold of the game and he just gave an arm punt on 2nd down.

The benefit with him versus Goff is I think he is a bit more likely to work himself out of funks but when he's going through those struggles in game it takes a really strong defensive effort to win. Luckily Morris is getting the defense to peak at the right time it seems.

[Flounch]

Mcvay has some blame too. He just never learn to lean more on running game than passing game. 

We have to wait until Stafford throw his 3rd pick to change his mind and go running the ball....

If Powell didn't make a punt return TD, we were going to lose the game. 

And Stafford is a big disapointment, i thought he would become a stud at the position but he's like Goff.

Except, instead of throwing checkdown and short passes, he's throwing long passes and more intermediate route. 

But in the turnover game, they are in the same mold. 

I don't trust him for making comeback and if he's not hot, he's like Goff, not capable of stepping up his game. 

Also, he still has tendency to overtarget Kupp and miss OBJ too much....and it's not like OBJ is not wide open. 

Also everyone praise Morris defense and i can see improvement in the running game but in the other area, it's not so great.

 

[MDY10]

1 hour ago, LeotheLion said:

I think my biggest frustrations with Stafford is less about the turnovers and more about his decision making. He just doesn't play winning football at times. I thought one of his worst plays yesterday was at the end of the first half when there was about 25 seconds left on the 12 yard line and he threw that ball to Kupp in triple coverage and was very fortunate the Vikings dropped the pick. When you have a FG in your back pocket with a lead at the end of the half that is not the time to roll the dice. And his 2nd pick to Van Jefferson was on a 2nd and 5. If that is 3rd down then I can understand taking a chance but at best he was throwing into double coverage. The hit he took impacted the throw but it's such a low probability play to make in that situation with a 10 point lead. That was an opportunity coming out of the half to really grab hold of the game and he just gave an arm punt on 2nd down.

The benefit with him versus Goff is I think he is a bit more likely to work himself out of funks but when he's going through those struggles in game it takes a really strong defensive effort to win. Luckily Morris is getting the defense to peak at the right time it seems.

I hated that play too. There was absolutely no reason to throw that ball into triple coverage. He didn’t even look for anyone else on that play, it was 100% pre determined. I agree though, his decision making at times is very questionable. At the start of the year he was missing throws and he has definitely straightened that out for the most part.. hopefully he figures this out too. Live to play another down. I truly believe no one beats this team if Stafford can give an “A” performance. 

[stl4life07]

6 hours ago, Flounch said:

Mcvay has some blame too. He just never learn to lean more on running game than passing game. 

We have to wait until Stafford throw his 3rd pick to change his mind and go running the ball....

If Powell didn't make a punt return TD, we were going to lose the game. 

And Stafford is a big disapointment, i thought he would become a stud at the position but he's like Goff.

Except, instead of throwing checkdown and short passes, he's throwing long passes and more intermediate route. 

But in the turnover game, they are in the same mold. 

I don't trust him for making comeback and if he's not hot, he's like Goff, not capable of stepping up his game. 

Also, he still has tendency to overtarget Kupp and miss OBJ too much....and it's not like OBJ is not wide open. 

Also everyone praise Morris defense and i can see improvement in the running game but in the other area, it's not so great.

 

I think you are giving Cousins and the Vikings way to much credit saying if Powell didnt score that td the Rams lose. I think that punt return td was scored in the 3rd quarter so the Vikings still had plenty of time to come back in the game. The Rams had complete control of that game regardless of that punt return for the td bc outside of that one td off a Stafford int, the Vikings couldnt do anything with those other two forced takeaways. 

What Sunday's game showed me is that now the Rams as a team can win games where Stafford isnt playing his best. Thats the one thing I came into the season thinking that this offense has to be special bc the defense would take a step back losing Staley, Johnson III, Brockers, and other pieces that help them be the best defense in the league last season. Early in the season the offense was clicking on all cylinders but then it hit a wall and the defense wasnt picking up the slack so the Rams went on a 3 game losing streak. Now the Rams are on a 4 game winning streak due to them playing team football. When one unit is struggling the other units are picking up the slack. Thats the sign on a great football team. Its been 17yrs since the Rams won a road football game where they turned the ball over 3 times. 

Im not going to even compare Stafford and Goff like you are saying. They arent the same. Its the first time since 2018 that Stafford has had a 3 int game. Plus what you and others conveniently dont mention is when the Rams "HAVE TO HAVE IT" we see Stafford delivers. When the Vikings cut the lead down to 7pts, what did Stafford do? He led the team down the field on a time consuming drive that ended with a FG to bring the lead up to 10pts which all but sealed the game. Not to mention Stafford led the Rams down the field and threw that td pass to OBJ to push the Rams lead to 14pts. So yes Stafford makes some mistakes but he has shown this season when the Rams "HAVE TO HAVE IT" he delivers and thats a reflection on him being literally the best QB in the NFL in the 4th quarter. Dont believe me go check the stats. He hasnt turned the ball over in the 4th all season long and he legit makes it difficult for any team to come back and win if the Rams have any type of lead in the 4th quarter no matter if that team is going on a bit of a run late to try for a comeback. Stafford will always respond leading the team to match score or at the very least lead a time consuming drive that ends in points.

Last point is, the Rams are setup for success in the playoffs. Why? They are stopping the run and they are running the football. I saw on social media someone pointed out that since November when people were calling the Rams "soft" they has owned the line of scrimmage. They are stopping the run, getting great pass rush, protecting Stafford well in the passing game, and opening up holes in the running game. Thats the formula for winning the Superbowl. Im not worried about Stafford at all bc Id rather for him to make these mistakes in the regular season than in the postseason. Not to mention the Rams lead the NFL in yards per play. They are averaging just over 6yds per play. I dont want Stafford to stop being aggressive. He can play smarter but continue to push the ball down the field. Yes it might lead to an int bc deep balls are low percentage plays but it stresses the defense and when connected it flips field position at worst. At best it puts quick points on the board which will be demoralizing to the opposing team.  So Im excited to see how this Rams team will do the rest of the way. 

[LeotheLion]

23 minutes ago, stl4life07 said:

Plus what you and others conveniently dont mention is when the Rams "HAVE TO HAVE IT" we see Stafford delivers.

We don't mention it because the only reason we were in a spot where we had to have it was because Stafford was throwing the game away. He doesn't get much credit with me for cleaning up a mess that he solely created.

[stl4life07]

2 minutes ago, LeotheLion said:

We don't mention it because the only reason we were in a spot where we had to have it was because Stafford was throwing the game away. He doesn't get much credit with me for cleaning up a mess that he solely created.

I totally agree with that assessment but if people are going to say Stafford is no better than Goff then I’m just pointing out that it’s not true. The eye test shows it too. How many times have we’ve seen as soon as some pressure comes to Goff he goes down where as Stafford finds a way to escape and make a play happen? 

[jrry32]

I expect we all agree that Stafford is better than Goff. The discussion was about being disappointed that he's also subject to becoming a streaky turnover machine at any moment. But we knew we weren't getting Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady or Russell Wilson when we made the trade. You just have to take the bad with the good.

[LeotheLion]

29 minutes ago, stl4life07 said:

I totally agree with that assessment but if people are going to say Stafford is no better than Goff then I’m just pointing out that it’s not true. The eye test shows it too. How many times have we’ve seen as soon as some pressure comes to Goff he goes down where as Stafford finds a way to escape and make a play happen? 

I think the comparison with Goff is he was the anchor holding the team down last year. I've felt this year that on 3-5 games that Stafford was the worst player on the team. Largely due to turnovers. 

Last year I had no confidence in the passing game at the end of the year. I still believe in the passing game this year because there is moments of absolute excellence. But I do find it hard to believe he is going to be able to play 4 consecutive playoff games at a winning level. I just hope if/when he has a stinker in the playoffs that the rest of the team can overcome it.