Rams rookie report: Byron Young, Kobie Turner stood out in bad loss to Packers

The Los Angeles Rams minus Matthew Stafford couldn’t get into the end zone in a 20-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. LA has lost three-straight as they head into their Week 10 bye with a 3-6 record.

The Rams should probably be looking ahead to the 2024 campaign as their already faint playoff hopes went cold at Lambeau Field. The main takeaway from the disappointing loss all LA fans should feel hopeful about is how Byron Young and Kobie Turner played their freaking asses off!

The pass rushing duo had stellar production in Green Bay:

Byron Young: 10 total tackles (8 solo), two sacks, one TFL, one QB hit

Kobie Turner: 10 total tackles (7 solo), one sack, one TFL, one QB hit

Both players tied for the team lead in tackles and combined for three of LA’s four sacks of Jordan Love. Young had three sacks entering Week 9 and had a career game against the Packers. The Tennessee product has similar stats that a former Michigan standout had in his first nine games as a top-2 pick in 2022.

Young was all over the field as he was in on crucial stops all throughout the game. He swarmed Packers’ running back Aaron Jones to force a third down stop with 6:52 left in the first quarter. The rookie made sure Jones wasn’t going anywhere as LA forced fourth down on the play.

Last week in my rookie report, I failed to give Kobie Turner the attention he rightfully deserved. I was admittedly too negative over LA’s bad loss in Dallas to notice. Fact is, he was great against the Cowboys and he was flat-out awesome in this one as he enjoyed his breakout game. It’s unfortunate it’s taken this long for Turner to get his due but better late than never I suppose.

Much like his rookie counterpart, Turner was also all over the field. He is performing like an elite nose tackle and may very well be on his way to entering the conversation in the coming years if he keeps having games like this.

Two plays highlighted Turner’s rapid development on the field. One came with just under nine minutes left to play in the second quarter where Turner fought through a double team to tackle Jones for a minimal gain on the ground.

The other play came late in the fourth quarter with the Rams already down 13-3. Turner clogged the running lane for Jones and made the tackle. I swear Aaron Jones will be seeing Kobie and Young in his nightmares for the next week.

In a year with very little to celebrate in Hollywood, the Rams have nailed their rookie class. But we all knew that didn’t we? Their progression throughout the rest of the season will be something to monitor moving forward. LA has a bright future ahead even if the present is filled with darkness, generally sucky play and probably lots of day drinking to numb the pain. I’m not referencing anyone in particular by the way.

Other Notes:

• Puka Nacua no longer looks like the favorite for Offensive Player of the Year thanks to C.J. Stroud of the Texans throwing for 470 yards and five touchdowns in a comeback win over the Bucs. Well, Puka has Brett Rypien to thank (or curse) for pushing him out of the award chase. Of course winning an award as a non-QB was already a tall task but that’s a discussion for another time. Ineffective quarterback play limited Nacua to two catches for 14 yards in the first half. The rookie receiver finished the game with three receptions for 32 yards. Nacua also had an OPI penalty on a spectacular catch. Overall, a forgettable outing for the first-year stud aside from setting yet another record before halftime.

• It simply wouldn’t be a rookie report without showing some love to punter Ethans Evans. Given how offensively offensive the offense was against the Packers, Evans was going to get plenty of work and he did with five punts for 224 yards (44.8 average). Evans had a booming kick that went for 65 yards. Legatron continues to be a special teams gem for LA this season.