6 Rams to watch in Week 3 vs. Bengals
The Los Angeles Rams will hit the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 3. This will be the first time the Rams and Bengals will face each other since Los Angeles defeated Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI to conclude the 2021 campaign.
The Rams will enter Monday’s matchup with a 1-1, splitting divisional matchups with the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers to begin the season. Meanwhile, the Bengals are 0-2 as Joe Burrow is dealing with a calf injury that could sideline him for Monday’s showdown.
With the Rams looking to improve to 2-1 through the first three weeks, here are six players to watch in Monday night’s Super Bowl rematch against the Bengals.
RB Kyren Williams
Before the Rams took on the 49ers in Week 2, news broke that Cam Akers was a healthy scratch and his tenure with the organization was nearing an end. Kyren Williams dominated the backfield in Week 2 and Akers is no longer a member of the Rams, having been traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
In the first two weeks, Williams has totaled 154 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns. Along with his dual-threat production, Williams has been fantastic in pass protection, too. Look for Williams to be busy again out of the backfield against a Bengals team that is 28th in run defense DVOA through the first two weeks.
WR Puka Nacua
Puka Nacua has gotten off to a historic start with the Rams amid Cooper Kupp’s stint on injured reserve to begin the season. The rookie wideout leads the NFL with 25 receptions thus far, and he’s registered 266 receiving yards, with his 25 receptions being a league record for a player’s first two career games.
Nacua looks like a savvy veteran in the way he’s running his routes and finding the pockets in zone coverage to give Stafford better windows to throw into. There’s no reason to believe Stafford won’t set his sights on Nacua again versus the Bengals on Monday night.
WR Van Jefferson
While Nacua and Tutu Atwell have excelled to begin the season sans Kupp, Van Jefferson has struggled to find a role in the new-look offense. Despite running with the starters, Jefferson has caught only five of his nine targets for 33 yards in the first two games for the Rams.
Of the wide receivers on the Rams, Jefferson appears to be the one who could lose snaps once Kupp is activated from injured reserve. In an attempt to avoid seeing his role decrease, Jefferson desperately needs a productive outing in Week 3.
OLB Byron Young
Forgotten among the deserved Nacua hype right now, Byron Young has also been putting together a noteworthy start to his career. The first-year edge rusher has notched nine tackles and 1.5 sacks through two games, recording at least half a sack in each contest.
The Rams failed to generate consistent pressure off of the edge a season ago (outside of Leonard Floyd), so it’s a positive sign to see Young producing already. The offensive line of the Bengals hasn’t been overly impressive and there’s a chance Burrow is either limited or unable to play on Monday night. Young is poised for another notable showing in Week 3.
IDL Aaron Donald
It’s been a somewhat quiet start to the season for Aaron Donald. The All-Pro interior defender has posted four tackles and half a sack in the first two weeks as teams continue to focus the majority of their attention on slowing him down.
The good news for Donald is that the interior offensive line of the Bengals hasn’t been great thus far and either a hobbled Burrow or Jake Browning will be under center. If there’s a time for Donald to have a game where he reminds everyone how dominant he can still be, it is on primetime against the Bengals on Monday night.
CB Derion Kendrick
The Bengals boast one of the best receiver duos in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Regardless of who is starting at quarterback for Cincinnati in Week 3, Los Angeles will be tasked with trying to contain Chase and Higgins.
More specifically, the Bengals are likely going to do everything they can to get Chase and Higgins matched up on Derion Kendrick on Monday night. Kendrick has shown flashes to begin the season, but teams are clearly targeting him more instead of Cobie Durant and veteran Ahkello Witherspoon. The second-year cornerback has a chance to impress if he performs well against the dynamic wideout duo of the Bengals.
