If you’ve watched the Rams this year, you would have felt a sense of Deja Vu on Sunday night when they fell 37-20 against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.
A week after Matthew Stafford was afforded a clean pocket against the Patriots on his way to hurling four touchdowns, the 16-year signal-caller spent most of the night under siege – sacked five times in a game that was dominated in every sense of the word by Philly’s front.
If you’re keeping count at home, Stafford has now been sacked three or more times on six occasions this season. Unsurprisingly, the Rams also rank Top 10 in pressure rate and hits allowed on their veteran quarterback.
Both Stafford and coach Sean McVay shared a similar sentiment after the loss, admitting that quick beats at the line of scrimmage are contributing to the Rams’ hot and cold games on offense.
“They did some different things with their cover and you can illicit some one one-on-ones,” McVay said on the Eagles’ defense.
“We’ve got to be able to consistently do a better job and give him (Stafford) more time. There were some quick beats and we’ve got to be able to look at that and be better.”
THIRD DOWN SACK!!!@brandongraham55 brings down Matthew Stafford!
— DIE-HARD 🦅 REALTOR® (@Eaglesfans9) November 25, 2024
WHAT A HIT! 💥 pic.twitter.com/dk2d7fkkhT
The Rams are averaging 6.2 plays per drive – close to the top of the league. But in contrast, they remain one of the worst third-down teams in the league, which speaks to some of their struggles with turnover and sacks putting them behind the sticks.
On Sunday, McVay tried to buy Stafford time by relying on running back Kyren Williams, who rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He also dialed up play action, but against the likes of Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Milton Williams, the Rams never managed to find an answer to Philly’s pressure.
“It was a tough night. We knew they had some guys that were pretty damn good,” Stafford told reporters after the game.
“Tried to mix it as much as we can. Tried to hand the ball off, get out of the pocket, some quicker game stuff. Mix a couple play actions in with some help on the edges, we tried to mix it as much as we can.”
The Rams will no doubt spend some draft picks looking to address their offensive line next April, but with games against the Bills and 49ers ahead next month, they’ll need a quicker fix if they hold any hope of sneaking into a Wild Card spot.
