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Rams fall to Raiders, 17-16: Everything to know from dramatic preseason loss

cameron dasilva
·3 min read

The Rams had a chance to win it with 14 seconds left to play, but Bryce Perkins’ pass intended for Jacob Harris on a two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. It’s a second-consecutive loss for the Rams in the preseason, but the final score of 17-16 shouldn’t overshadow the play of several players on Los Angeles’ side.

And who doesn’t love some fourth-quarter drama in the preseason? The Rams offense wasn’t great, but there was a lot to like from Perkins, Jake Funk, J.J. Koski and others.

Final score: Raiders 17, Rams 16

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Top performers

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Chris Garrett: 4 tackles (1 for a loss), 1.5 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 FF, 3 QB hits Jake Funk: 7 carries, 56 yards J.J. Koski: 8 catches, 61 yards J.R. Reed: 4 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBU JuJu Hughes: 3 tackles, 1 PBU

Game notes

  • The Rams' defensive front showed up tonight. Garrett looked like a Pro Bowler on the edge, while Bobby Brown III and Jonah Williams made great plays of their own in the opposing backfield. The Raiders' quarterbacks had very little time to survey the field tonight.

  • The run blocking was much better than it was against the Chargers last weekend. Jake Funk and Xavier Jones had more running room and actually had a chance to find holes, which led to a couple of longer runs by each player. Funk had runs of 12, 14 and 19 yards on the night.

  • Penalties were an issue for the Rams. They committed seven infractions in the first half alone, from holding penalties to hands to the face calls to defensive pass interference. It wasn't the cleanest game from Sean McVay's team.

  • Perkins got a much longer look tonight than he did in the preseason opener, playing every snap, and he continues to look comfortable. One of his only mistakes was a deep shot into triple-coverage for Tutu Atwell, which was picked off, but he avoided a bunch of sacks and kept plays alive with his leg.

  • Matt Gay was forced to take on punting duties tonight after Johnny Hekker and Corey Bojorquez were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list hours before kickoff. He punted four times and averaged 42 yards per, also making a field goal and PAT.

  • Neither team was good on third down. The Rams converted only 2 of XXX 13, while the Raiders struggled as well (2 for 10).

Play of the game

Perkins was a wizard all night avoiding sacks, but this was by far his best play of the game – and the best play by anyone on the field. He dodged the sack on fourth down and used his legs to pick up the first down, keeping the drive alive before throwing a touchdown pass to Jacob Harris a few plays later. https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1429310464060575753

Up next

The Rams will head back to Thousand Oaks for a week of practice before taking on the Broncos in the preseason finale. That game will be on the road in Denver, kicking off one hour earlier than the first two preseason games. Rams-Broncos will begin on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET, just over two weeks before the regular season is scheduled to begin for the Rams on Sept. 12.

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