6 key takeaways from Rams’ Week 5 win vs. Seahawks
The Rams only had a few days to prepare for the Seahawks before heading up to Seattle on Wednesday morning for a prime-time matchup in Week 5. The short turnaround came at a good time, however, following Sunday’s ugly loss to the Cardinals.
They didn’t start this game well, either, scoring just three points in the first half, but they turned things around in the third and fourth quarters with an offensive outburst. The end result was a 26-17 win on the road and a 4-1 record after five weeks.
Here’s what we learned from Thursday night’s victory.
No. 3 cornerback spot remains an issue
The Rams tried to change things up at cornerback by benching David Long Jr. and inserting Robert Rochell into the starting lineup. It didn’t do much to solve the woes in the secondary, unfortunately. Rochell was called for defensive pass interference on a deep shot to Tyler Lockett, and he also gave up a touchdown to DK Metcalf in coverage.
Long came into the game when Darious Williams injured his ankle late in the fourth quarter, but a starting lineup of Jalen Ramsey, Long and Rochell is not something the Rams want at cornerback. They need Rochell or Long to step up, even if Williams winds up being fine. Otherwise, quarterbacks will continue to pick on that No. 3 cornerback with success.
Matthew Stafford shows great resilience after early struggles
Stafford was not sharp in the first half. He overthrew a few passes, threw an ugly interception in the end zone and was missing receivers on throws that he would ordinarily make. It was not a pretty performance from the quarterback to begin the game, but as he did against the Colts, he showed resilience in the second half.
He finished the night with 365 yards and a touchdown, consistently making sharp throws 20 yards down the field to the likes of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. When the Rams were down 7-3 after halftime, he led them to two touchdown drives on consecutive possessions, which spanned a total of 178 yards – 3 more yards than they had in the entire first half.
Running game excels once again
As good as Stafford was, the running game had a ton of success, too. Darrell Henderson Jr. rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown. His 29-yard run was a big play in the game, too, showing good vision and balance through the hole. It was his second straight game with at least 80 yards rushing.
Sony Michel looked confident, too. He had 37 yards on 11 carries, which isn’t terribly impressive stat line but he had a 15-yard run up the middle and also a walk-in touchdown to put the Rams up 23-14 in the fourth quarter.
The offensive line showed good physicality when the Rams ran the ball, which was encouraging. The Rams should still be a pass-first offense because that’s what has had the most success, but Henderson and Michel were nice complements on the ground.
Halftime adjustments made all the difference
The Rams had 175 yards in the first half. They scored three points and looked lost on offense. In the second half, it was a completely different team. They had 301 yards on only 31 plays, an average of 9.7 yards per play. They put up 23 points and had four scoring drives in the final 30 minutes, moving the ball easily against this Seahawks defense.
Obviously, whatever McVay told his players in the locker room worked because there were explosive plays, better throws from Stafford and better protection up front. Prior to this win, the Rams were 1-15 when trailing by at least four points at halftime under McVay, so it was a big comeback victory after trailing at the half.
Robert Woods is still a key offensive player
There was some sense that Stafford was forcing the ball to Cooper Kupp in the first four games, resulting in a lack of opportunities for Woods in the passing game. Woods said he talked to McVay about his role this week and McVay said he would get Woods more involved, which came to fruition on Thursday night.
Woods was targeted 14 times, catching 12 passes for 150 yards. He led the team in all three categories against Seattle, showing that good things happen when the ball is thrown his way. He was making plays all over the field, too, whether it was underneath or on deep crossers over the middle. Woods should be a reliable target for Stafford moving forward because he’s plenty good enough to warrant at least eight-plus targets a game.
Rams are generating pressure, but they must finish plays
The Rams are finding ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks. They’re just failing to finish plays too often. Whether it was Carson Wentz escaping and throwing a bomb in Week 2 or Kyler Murray evading multiple sacks last week, defenders are coming up short when getting near the quarterback.
That happened too often against the Seahawks. Sebastian Joseph-Day pressured Wilson out of the pocket in the first half, but he found DK Metcalf for a 25-yard gain. Leonard Floyd let Wilson slip through his grasp multiple times, too, which could’ve resulted in some pretty big losses.
With Terrell Lewis now a starter, the pressure is there. The Rams just need the sacks and tackles for a loss to follow.
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