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Trends are beginning to emerge after an off-balance showing from the Los Angeles Rams offense and an oft-repeated bend-but-don’t-break performance from their defense. A Week 2 victory over the Indianapolis Colts provides a much needed snapshot into the mind of head coach Sean McVay and how he plans on using some of his chess pieces throughout the season.
Eight players lined up for all 59 of Sunday’s offensive snaps while only one player - defensive back Jalen Ramsey - played all 67 defensive snaps. Defensive tackle and all around beast Aaron Donald saw his percentage of snaps played dip slightly (96% to 93%) as did edge rusher Leonard Floyd (83% from 81%), while David Long saw his usage shoot up significantly, from 57% in Week 1 to 72% in Week 2.
Consistency was once again the name of the game for the offense as quarterback Matthew Stafford and his entire starting offensive line were present for 100% of the snaps taken.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp stayed on the field the entire game as well, up from 94% against the Chicago Bears. Kupp’s partners in crime, receivers Robert Woods and Van Jefferson, also saw snap counts increase to 98% and 92% respectively. Running back Darrell Henderson remained the hot hand in the backfield, taking a total of 40 snaps, until leaving the game due to a rib injury suffered in the fourth quarter. While the extent of the injury remains unknown, it stands to reason we will continue to see an uptick in usage for Sony Michel, particularly after a strong showing against the Colts.
The Rams did add a running back to the roster on Monday.
These numbers aren’t yet indicators of anything other than specific personal groupings based on looks given by the opposing defense. However, lack of snap count from free-agent acquisition DeSean Jackson remains curious considering the deep threat he provides.
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