Surprise, surprise and one more surprise was the theme of the game early on in the Los Angeles Rams win over the Detroit Lions 28-19. Jared Goff made his return to LA after the offseason trade that sent him to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford who also played his former team Sunday at SoFi stadium. Here are three takeaways from the week seven matchup.
LIONS HAD A GOOD GAME PLAN
For a team with zero wins coming in against a team with only one loss, the Lions played well in large part due to the game plan that was fit for the occasion. The lions came in to this game ranked in the bottom half of the league in terms of passing yardage but they have two running backs that represent two of the teams best weapons in Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift who combined for 105 yards rushing and Swift added 96 receiving yards. The Lions first score was on a 63 yard strike on a screen to Swift that was timed perfectly as a play call vs a seven man Rams Blitz. Add in three successful surprise special teams plays including an onside kick and two fake punts and the game plan gave the Lions their best shot but against the Rams it was not enough.
MATTHEW STAFFORD PLAYED POISED AND ACCURATE
Stafford completed 28 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The first Rams score was set up by a perfect pass to Cooper Kupp for 29 yards that set up a field goal. The second score was a touchdown to receiver Van Jefferson on a top shelf fade that was placed in the perfect spot for Jefferson to climb the ladder and secure the ball for the touchdown. In a game where the Lions had the edge on time of possession, total yards, and total yards per play, Stafford made all the plays at the right times to keep get his team the lead when it mattered to secure the win.
JALEN RAMSEY IS A STAR
With Darious Willams on IR, it seems more critical that Ramsey be integrated into more areas of the defense than his traditional outside corner position. There is still an argument that in some cases he would better serve as a shutdown corner assigned to the opponents number one threat. However, in a game like this when the top threats are the tight end and running back, Ramsey looked like a great fit in the star or nickel position. He was in the backfield stopping runs, applying pressure on pass rush, and got a critical interception to help secure the game.
And now for today’s links:
RAMS NEWS:
Jalen Ramsey capitalizes on opportunity with fourth-quarter interception vs. Lions (Rams.com)
Matthew Stafford reaches 300 career passing touchdowns (Rams.com)
Hear what Sean McVay told the Rams after Week 7 win vs. Lions (RamsWire)
NFL NEWS:
2021 NFL season, Week 7: What we learned from Sunday’s games (NFL.com)
Titans provide reminder of potential with shellacking of Chiefs (NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady becomes first NFL QB to reach 600 passing TDs (ESPN)
Sam Darnold benched by Carolina Panthers in MetLife return as P.J. Walker takes over (ESPN)
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