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Quarterback
B+
Much of the credit here today goes to the offensive line. Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff had tons of time to throw all day and space to step into his delivery. Goff wasn’t sacked once, and he only endured three quarterback hits.
That allowed him to get into sync with the passing offense especially with WR Cooper Kupp who was straight up ripping the Cincinnati Bengals’ zone looks to shreds.
The second half was a bit shakier for Goff as he just made some questionable decisions as the Bengals switched up their assignments in the second half as the Rams were without WR Brandin Cooks as the deep threat.
Not the most efficient or consistent day for Jared, but a good one overall.
Running back
B+
This one’s a bit harder to assign a single grade to because it was really two tales of two running backs. RB Todd Gurley put in the effort early, but he wasn’t given much room to work with. Outside of a 20-yard burst in front of the Rams’ endzone on third down, Gurley didn’t do much on the day. RB Darrell Henderson, Jr., was more consistent. As the second half wore on, he was picking up chunk yardage on a more regular basis.
Together, they combined for 21 rushes that went for 95 yards, but you do wonder why (especially as the passing offense stalled) the ground game wasn’t featured more in the second half.
Wide receiver/tight end
A
WR Josh Reynolds got a nice early touchdown as Kupp forced Cincy to overhaul their defense out of the half. The second half was more jittery, but the opportunities weren’t there. Cooks’ absence was clear in the last 30 minutes.
Offensive line
A+/C+
Giving a separated grade here, because performances like these deserve attention this year.
If people are going to rip the line for the performance two weeks ago against the San Francisco 49ers, they should give an equally opposite effort to support today’s game especially in the pass. The line overall with as much youth as they have especially inside were always going to require instruction. Hopefully, this is a building block performance to take into the second half of the season after the bye to try and come close to replicating against tougher competition.
Defensive line
C+
Not great early on and didn’t clamp down in run defense. Considering the caliber of the opponent, probably a below-average game. On the merits, a passing grade.
Linebackers
B-
I thought they were fine today. Pass pressure wasn’t great, but things were so clean behind them especially after the half they didn’t need to be today.
Defensive backs
B+
Nearly half of Bengals QB Andy Dalton’s passing yards came on the last two possessions that ended on turnovers on downs as the Bengals were desperate to close the gap.
Overall, a very good day and a phenomenal improvement out of the half. I know CB Troy Hill is a fan favorite as a scapegoat, but he had a great day. CB Jalen Ramsey was rarely targeted and probably wisely so.
Coaching
B+
The Rams played a very, very bad team today. The game was too competitive early on. Were it not for Cincy’s offense coming apart after the half, it could have remained so.
It seemed like a game we should have seem more from Henderson quantity-wise.
The trick play was a thing of beauty though. Well-practiced. Well-executed. Well-poorly-defended.
Two weeks ago, I closed the report card saying:
The Rams are just all over the place identity-wise. There’s no center. There’s nothing to lean into amid adversity.
They showed that again today, and that’s all on McVay’s leadership which right now has the Rams lost at sea.
Today was a bit closer to establishing an identity of a team this year with the passing offense and defense overall, though the rushing offense remains far too fluid to know much about.
But, the Rams got the win. The second in a row. They can get to the bye and heal up and take some time to gear up mentally for the second half where things get much, much more difficult. Today’s opponent has yet to win a game. That means the two recent opponents that gifted the Rams this two-game winning streak have combined for a single win in 2019.
No more gifts.