By Ron Johnson
Rams Recap
After the debacle of last week in their loss to Philadelphia, the Rams managed to find the perfect time to reintroduce their perfect weapon: Cooper Kupp. In that instance, the Rams reminded a lot of people that they are not dead yet, and they are determined to make this more than just a rebuilding season.
Matthew Stafford managed to garner 226 yards on 15 completions, and Cooper Kupp led the way on the receiving corp with 148 yards on seven catches and a touchdown as the Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 26-9 to improve to 3-3 on the season and get themselves back in the thick of the division race. With Seattle losing to Cincy and San Fran suffering its first lost to Cleveland, the Rams can now make a push for the division.
Stafford went a game without throwing an interception, which if you’re a Rams fan, you’re happy about all things considered. And despite going out for a few plays, Kyren Williams was able to be a big part of the offense as he got 158 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown on top of it. The supporting cast of the Rams was able to step up as well as Tutu Atwell got a catch for 30 yards, Tyler Higbee caught two passes for 18 yards and Kupp 2.0, Puka Nacua, got four catches for 26 yards to finish the day.
But for Rams fans, it’s all about the win. And today, it’s all about the win.
On the defensive side, Christian Rozeboom managed to snag an interception in this game, Byron Young made it clear that he is here to stay as he managed to get himself a sack as well as Jonah Williams. On the special teams side of it, Brett Maher was lights out after getting chastised in Dallas. Maher nailed all four of his field goals and both of his extra points in the game against the Cardinals.
To say the least, the Rams looked like the team of old for at least one game. But it is not about this game, with all due respect to the Cardinals. With the Cowboys on the horizon, the Rams will look to continue their climb out of the cellar of the NFC West with a battle against Kenny Pickett, TJ Watt and the Steelers next weekend. The main thing for the Rams now is to capitalize on the win today and build on it. Containing Watt will be a huge factor for them for their next game. Stafford needs to keep executing when it matters and on top of that he needs to keep the interceptions to a minimum.
Now comes the fun part: The Division. With the Niners suffering from the injury bug (McCaffrey and Samuel both on the shelf) and Geno Smith reverting back to his former self (Straight garbage), the division is wide open right now. The Niners survived their first meeting with the Rams, and the Seahawks fell short of beating them. With the way the Cowboys played last week against the Niners, there is no telling what will happen on Halloween between the two clubs. But here is the reality: the NFC West is still anyone’s division to conquer.
The Rams have shown they don’t need AD to get a sack every single game, and they don’t need Cooper Kupp to have a monster game. The role of AD has been played greatly by Ernest Jones and Young, while the role of Cooper Kupp has been played by Atwell and Nacua. This team can win some games if they remain consistent, but that is the biggest thing: They have to remain consistent.
Williams has stepped up with the departure of Akers to Minnesota, but he will need the offensive line to step up as will Stafford. Stafford will need to get at least 300 yards passing and spread the ball around to its receiving corp. With Van Jefferson going to the dirty south in Atlanta, he will need to find a new true deep threat when Kupp is continuing to get double and triple covered, which he should be from here on out.
But at least for today, the Rams fateful can rest easy. The Rams got the win.
In their eyes, nothing else matters.
