This Sunday the Los Angeles Rams will look to snap a three-game losing streak against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The recent woes have come as the team took a major step in signing Pro Bowler Von Miller and stud wideout Odell Beckham Junior. Currently two games behind the Arizona Cardinals and a game above the surging San Francisco 49ers, the race in the NFC West is heating up.
Despite the comfy matchup at the home of Super Bowl LVI, the Cardinals, 49ers and Ravens pose a daunting threat for the final stretch of the season. Albeit those are the matchups fans come through the gates for, let’s focus on what the Rams need to do to ensure they get back in the win column.
The Stafford Kupp Connection
Early on when the Rams seemed unbeatable, Matthew Stafford throwing to Cooper Kupp was a large part of their success. Though the duo is still highly efficient, most of Kupp’s yards recently have come in garbage time when the team was trailing. However looking back it’s obvious that when Stafford prioritizes Kupp as the vocal point of the offense great things happen. Kupp is one of the best receivers in the league for a reason. He’s a route running savant and his knack to get open on any play is unparalleled.
To achieve this Stafford has to be more precise with his throws and not give away careless interceptions. Playing at SoFi Stadium in front of the electric home crowd should help him accomplish that. For Kupp the drought to find the end zone has extended to three games. If Stafford looks Kupp’s way on the first couple drives he should have no issues scoring a touchdown. All three of the Rams receivers could make a big impact but going back to the basics will ignite the offense and overwhelm the underperforming Jaguars.
Pounding the Rock
On Wednesday running back Darrell Henderson was listed as questionable with a quad injury. His status is still up in the air but if he’s able to play there should be plenty of gaps to gain extra yards. The Rams are fortunate enough to have a solid run and pass attack. If one doesn’t work out then utilizing the other can be successful. For Sundays purposes Jacksonville doesn’t defend either one particularly well. Whether it’s Henderson or Sony Michel, the passing attack should open up red zone opportunities to punch it in.
Most of Henderson’s bigger games this season have been on the road. So if he does play through his injury the amount of work he splits with Michel could be significant given the teams current struggles. With Jacksonville beatable through the air and on the ground it’s impossible to say which one head coach Sean McVay will use more. Both are excellent options and the latter could be very effective due to the Rams odds to lead most of the game.
Pressure on Defense
The Rams defense since acquiring Von Miller has been somewhat alarming and problematic. Paired with Aaron Donald, the talk surrounding those two wreaking havoc hasn’t come to fruition just yet. However Miller is still figuring things out and theres no need to panic. It’s not like the last three games were easy either — fresh off of getting smoked by Aaron Rodgers. The defense is too good to stay down for long and fans can anticipate them to be dominant against rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
It will be a relief if running back James Robinson can’t go on Sunday as he’s been dealing with an injury of his own. He is the centerpiece of the offense and without him there’s not much the Jaguars offer. Maybe this is the game we see cornerback Jalen Ramsey switch to man coverage. Reuniting with his former team, don’t be surprised if he has an interception. All in all its safe to say we can expect a much different approach from the coaching staff that maximizes its best players strengths.
Verdict. The Rams will snap their three-game skid and blowout the Jaguars improving to 8-4.
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