Rams Week 13 report card: Grading every position vs. Cardinals
The Rams got back on track against the Cardinals in Week 13, bouncing back from an ugly loss to the 49ers one week prior. They crushed Arizona once again, extending their winning streak against the Cardinals to seven games with a 38-28 victory.
They controlled the game from the second quarter on, getting good performances from Jared Goff, their running back committee and the defense as a whole.
Here’s how we graded every position group on the roster in Week 13.
Quarterback: B+
Jared Goff’s numbers were outstanding on Sunday. He completed 37 of 47 passes, good for a season-high 78.7% completion rate, gaining 351 yards with two total touchdowns. He was mistake-free and made some impressive throws, even if most of them were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The absence of deep shots isn't necessarily on him, but it is concerning that his 3.5 average intended air yards was the lowest of any QB in the NFL this week.
Running back: A
The running back committee worked exactly as the Rams hoped it would this week. Cam Akers had 94 total yards on 23 touches, Darrell Henderson picked up 74 yards on just five touches, and Malcolm Brown added a 30-yard reception in his limited playing time. There were big plays made by all three backs, leading to nearly 200 yards of offense from them.
Wide receiver: B+
Goff did a nice job spreading the ball around, so there were a lot of players catching passes on his 47 attempts. Robert Woods led the way with 10 catches, but they only went for 85 yards. Cooper Kupp caught eight of his nine passes for 73 yards, too, finally outsnapping Josh Reynolds on offense. Van Jefferson played a career-high 40 snaps and turned them into four catches for 27 yards. It was a good day for the wideouts, even if there was no huge performance from any of them.
Tight end: B+
Tyler Higbee’s season has been quieter than expected, but at least he’s scored a handful of touchdowns. He found the end zone on Sunday, to go along with his 24 yards receiving, being targeted six times by Goff. Gerald Everett looked elusive and agile in the open field, breaking several tackles en route to a six-catch, 44-yard day.
Offensive line: C+
Robert Havenstein had what seemed like a rough outing, though Pro Football Focus would disagree. Austin Corbett played well at right guard, though, allowing very little pressure on the interior. The line wasn’t getting much push against Arizona’s front but Goff was only sacked once despite being hit six times. Arizona also made seven tackles behind the line, many of which came against the run.
Defensive line: A-
Sebastian Joseph-Day continues to play at a high level, as does Aaron Donald. Morgan Fox was quieter than usual as the Rams used a deep rotation of defensive linemen, but it was still a nice performance from the big men up front. A’Shawn Robinson batted a pass at the line to go along with his one tackle, while Donald had a sack and tackle for loss.
Inside linebacker: B+
Troy Reeder filled in for Micah Kiser again and had one of his better games in the NFL. He made 10 tackles and broke up a pass over the middle with a diving effort to prevent a sure catch. Kenny Young only had two tackles, but one of them was a great play on a run blitz to hit the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage. There’s still room for improvement, but the inside linebackers played fairly well, all things considered. They helped limit Kyler Murray’s effectiveness.
Outside linebacker: B+
Unlike most weeks, Justin Hollins was the standout edge rusher, not Leonard Floyd. Hollins made three tackles, had a sack, hit Murray twice and forced a fumble, also doing an excellent job setting the edge to keep Murray in the pocket when he tried to escape. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo hit Murray once in his return from IR, as well. Floyd didn’t make any hugely impactful plays, but he pressured Murray a couple of times.
Cornerback: A
Any time you limit DeAndre Hopkins to 52 yards on eight catches, you’re doing something right. Jalen Ramsey was at the forefront of that effort, but he wasn’t the only one to keep a Cardinals wideout in check. In total, the Cardinals’ wideouts caught 15 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. Troy Hill had a pick-six and key deflection on third down, earning a career-best grade of 91.3 from PFF. Darious Williams didn’t have his name called but was effective in coverage.
Safety: A
John Johnson made a nice tackle on Murray as he attempted to scramble, and then perfectly played an option with Murray and the running back as part of his nine total tackles in the game. Jordan Fuller made three tackles himself, and was just inches away from breaking up Murray’s pass on his touchdown to Hopkins. Once again, steady play from the safety position, with Nick Scott also playing well in his dime package role.
Special teams: D
Put simply, the Rams need more consistency out of their special teams unit. Matt Gay clanked a 37-yarder off the left upright, Nsimba Webster fumbled a punt return and the kickoff unit allowed a 54-yard return in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, none of those mistakes cost the Rams a win, but they were all concerning, nonetheless.
