Rams Stock Up, Stock Down: Bryce Perkins fails to surpass John Wolford

The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 27-10 at Arrowhead Stadium. LA was severely outmatched on both sides of the football. The offense was missing six starters, while the defense was tasked with trying to slow down MVP favorite, Patrick Mahomes. While there were not any star performances, a few players were able to raise their stock on the team. Here are five stock up and five stock down players from yesterday’s game.

Stock Up

1. Tutu Atwell, WR

Sunday after the game, Sean McVay announced that Allen Robinson will require season ending foot surgery. With the Rams already without Cooper Kupp, Atwell should see plenty of snaps for the remainder of the season. Tutu Atwell caught both passes thrown his way, totaling 23 yards. It was not a splashy game for Tutu, but he has been reliable yet again. He helped convert a 4th down scenario and showed up a few plays later.

2. Nick Scott, S

Nick Scott was a key figure in the Rams red zone defense, holding the Chiefs to one touchdown in six red zone trips. One of the stops was an interception by Scott off of Patrick Mahomes. In addition, Scott had a huge hit on Isaiah Pacheco in the red zone, stonewalling the rookie running back.

3. Riley Dixon, P

Riley Dixon has been one of the best punters in the NFL this season. Sunday showcased two great plays by the seventh year pro. He successfully converted a fake punt pass in the first half.

With respect to his punting duties, Dixon punted four times for 180 yards (45.0 avg) with two inside the 20. He landed one at the Kansas City four-yard line.

4. AJ Arcuri, LT

AJ Arcuri saw his first action with the Rams revolving offensive line. Despite allowing a few pressures early on, Arcuri looked more comfortable as the game progressed. He still needs to add strength and refine his technique, but Arcuri has an opportunity to be a swing tackle if he puts the work in and stays healthy. With LA being out of the playoff picture, Arcuri should be given the nod to start games moving forward.

5. Michael Hoecht, DL/EDGE

Hoecht didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy against Kansas City. But Los Angeles decided to alter his position, moving him to an edge rusher after the team released Justin Hollins. Hoecht is liked by coaches for his relentless motor, and he will have the opportunity to push Terrell Lewis for the starting spot.

Stock Down

1. Bryce Perkins, QB

Perkins earned his first NFL start and although he threw his first touchdown pass, he struggled to move the offense up and down the field. Perkins only managed 100 yards passing through four quarters and was intercepted twice. The truth of the matter is Perkins is not quick enough to process his reads and fire the football down field with zip and accuracy. In comparing starts between backup quarterbacks, John Wolford had the better game against Arizona than Perkins’s game versus Kansas City.

2. Matt Skura, LG

The offensive line surrendered three sacks, but it was Matt Skura who had his hands full with Chris Jones. Bryce Perkins’s ability to scramble outside of the pocket masked the interior pressure that the Rams faced all afternoon.

3. All the CBs

I understand that the defense did a promising job in holding Mahomes and KC to 27 points. However, all four cornerbacks had mistakes. Travis Kelce got the better of Jalen Ramsey on KC’s first touchdown. David Long Jr bit on a fake and allowed Sky Moore to get over top of him for 15-20 yards. Derion Kendrick had a holding penalty and lacked effort in tackling. Troy Hill had a pair of missed tackles and allowed multiple receptions underneath.

4. Tyler Higbee, TE

Tyler Higbee was nursing a knee injury going into Sunday. He was active and played, but did add anything to the offensive game plan. Brycen Hopkins was more productive. It’s moments like this that make me question Higbee’s future beyond 2022. Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson were not active, which would make Higbee the best passing game option. Unfortunately, he did not capitalize.

5. Leonard Floyd & Terrell Lewis, EDGE

Leonard Floyd had a quiet day with just two tackles (one solo). Against mobile quarterbacks, the Rams rely on Floyd and Lewis to contain the edge. Even though Mahomes is a special talent, Andrew Wylie the right tackle is not. Wylie has allowed six sacks and has committed seven penalties. If Leonard Floyd can’t beat a below-average to average right tackle, he obviously should not be making $16+ million annually.

In the post-Justin Hollins release, Terrell Lewis failed to make any impact that justified Lewis’s ability as a starter moving forward. I did notice a stunt move where Lewis blitzed up the middle, Creed Humphrey stonewalled him with ease.