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The Los Angeles Rams were a part of an interesting NFC battle with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the high scoring affair, the Rams fell just a bit short, despite Carson Wentz being ruled out.
While many were frustrated with the Rams execution down the stretch, the Rams again proved that their record is no fluke, being competitive with the best team in the NFC. The rookies again played huge roles.
WR Cooper Kupp
In a game with huge “big name” players like Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Sammy Watkins, and others, Cooper Kupp emerged as the leading receiver for both teams. Kupp finished the game with five receptions for 118 yards, including a 64 yard catch and run.
#Rams rookie Cooper Kupp with a 60+ yard catch pic.twitter.com/XXPI1RGiWX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 10, 2017
With Robert Woods likely to come back for the final regular season push, Kupp’s role may be slightly reduced but going forward, the future looks very bright for Jared Goff’s favorite target.
WR Josh Reynolds and TE Gerald Everett
Josh Reynolds and Gerald Everett had relatively quiet games. Reynolds made a couple of catches for 17 yards and Everett caught his lone target for six yards. Surprisingly after many weeks of targets for the tight end group, Everett’s lone target was the only attempt to the group. Look for the Rams to get back on track with more looks to the bigger bodied receivers.
S John Johnson III
Rookie safety John Johnson III played a game that metaphorically fit his rookie season, lows and highs. When Johnson was “on”, he was flying all over the field and making many strong tackles, 11 in fact. When Johnson was “off”, Trey Burton was burning him in coverage. While the future is definitely still bright, Johnson will have to work on staying more consistent in the back end.
OLB Samson Ebukam
Ebukam had a rough second career start. While not entirely on him, the Eagles exposed the edges of the Rams defense for strong runs. In a penalty heavy drive, Ebukam didn’t help with his very late hit on a receiver, giving the Eagles goal to go in the 4th quarter. However, Ebukam also had flashes of strong play, highlighting the potential of the raw player from EWU.