Man Crush Monday: Lesser Known Stars of Week 5

Another week, another misleading box score for the Rams. They outgained the Packers by a dozen yards and finally won the time of possession battle, but Nick Foles' horrid play undermined an otherwise outstanding game. That's the nature of the NFL though. You can have a dominant run game and defense, but you need everyone to play well.

That being said...there were some performances worth noting yesterday. You will more than likely notice the absence of Just Todd Gurley, who was again dominant. But I wanted to focus on the individuals who I think deserve more credit than they get on this team.

Stedman Bailey

Let me start by saying that I haven't always been a fan of Stedman. But he's always made the most of the opportunities and has earned a larger role in the offense. Yes 68 of his 73 yards yesterday came on a single play, but that accounted for over 50% of the Rams passing offense. That simultaneously tells you that the Rams passing offense was horrid and that Stedman was able to provide a spark.

He consistently gets 1st downs (67% of his completions have moved the chains this season), has some of the most reliable hands on the roster, and is a very capable possession receiver. But for one reason or another Jeff Fisher always bumps Bailey down the depth chart.

Memo to Fisher: It's time to put aside your connections from your days in Tennessee and free Stedman Bailey. Let the man play.

Trumaine Johnson

Tru had another impressive pick yesterday (sort-of). But there's no sense talking semantics here. He's playing for a contract and he's only making himself more desireable - and expensive - as he continues to play well. He's the lesser known of the Rams starting CBs, but he's also the more consistent. And the one I'd prefer them to keep if push comes to shove.

Gregg Williams

Williams isn't necessarily an unknown around the NFL like the two players are, but he's certainly working his magic with this Defense. It's not every day that a Defense forces Aaron Rodgers to turn the ball over 3 times. Or holds him to under 250 yards passing. But that's exactly what his defense did yesterday. And he deserves some credit for righting the ship after an couple of bumps in the road.