Sean McVay reveals why Ramsey and Williams had reduced roles vs. 49ers

Jalen Ramsey is one of the few Rams defenders who never comes off the field, playing just about every snap this season. That’s what made it so shocking to see that he was only out there for 69% of the team’s defensive snaps against the 49ers – a game in which Deebo Samuel dominated with 11 catches for 133 yards.

The Rams never reported an injury to Ramsey and he didn’t miss time in practice last week, leading to questions about his role against San Francisco. It turns out Ramsey was hurt, which is why he was limited to 50 snaps.

Sean McVay said Monday that Ramsey had “a little bit of a hip thing” during warmups, so the team didn’t give him his usual workload.

While it’s now clear that Ramsey’s hip was the reason for his reduced playing time, there are still questions about why Darious Williams only played 36 snaps – or 50% of the defensive plays.

McVay attempted to clarify that decision on Monday, as well, but his explanation leaves more questions than answers. According to McVay, Williams’ limited playing time was in part because of Ramsey’s reduced role, too.

So the Rams subbed David Long Jr. in for Williams in certain situations, giving Long 22 snaps. A questionable decision, to say the least, and it didn’t exactly work to the Rams’ advantage as Samuel torched the secondary drive after drive.

Ramsey and Williams have been the Rams’ two best cornerbacks this season, and missing them for a good chunk of the game hurt the defense. Troy Hill played well, and Long didn’t make any glaring mistakes, but Ramsey and Williams weren’t their usually impactful selves on Sunday.