Quarterbacks
Jared Goff gets an “A” for his work. The man was dealing. Sharp, accurate, decisive, and careful with the ball, the QB has the Rams offense blazing and shouldn’t look back now. He’s finally got the help to truly let his talent shine, and he looks like a completely different guy. There is no two ways about it.
Running Backs
Todd gets the grade of the game here. The guy has simply played like a man possessed. If it were not for a handful of game-icing and stuffed goal-line carries, his average would have been terrific in this game. Regardless, he cracked a 19-game streak of less than 100 rushing yards, and scored three touchdowns in one half – the first Ram to do it since Marshall Faulk. He also chipped in another five receptions for 36 yards.
Wide Receivers
Sensing a theme here? The Buffalo Bills duo (Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods) both crossed the 100-yard receiving mark, with Sammy Watkins scoring twice. Explosive, fast, and each snagging down multiple impressive catches, the duo have been huge for the Rams. Sammy Watkins is also finally developing the rapport with Jared Goff.
Tight Ends
Not much to report here, the TE’s were blocking for most of the day. Newest Ram Derek Carrier brought down a reception for 17 yards, and Tyler Higbee also chimed in with a reception for four yards. He also had a big drop that could have potentially went for a TD – those are the kinds of plays that’ll give Gerald Everett more pass catching snaps, and Higbee less.
Offensive Line
Maybe the most impressive unit on the team, the OL was killing the entire game. Jared Goff got sacked 0 times on the night, and the running game was as effective as ever. Outside of an injury to starting C John Sullivan, everything looked great.
Defensive Line
Michael Brockers was the top dog here, playing like a man possessed against the run all day. Luckily it seems he escaped without serious injury. Aaron Donald ices the game with a huge sack, and Morgan Fox chipped in with an untouched sack. They’re going to need to do a much better job against the run.
Linebackers
The OLB’s (Matt Longacre and Connor Barwin) both chipped in with a sack a piece, though the LB core was largely un-impressive. Not a ton of pressure against the pass, and not good at all against the run. Alec Ogletree was burned for a big play by a FB – again. This unit needs to get sorted out really quickly, otherwise the Rams are going to struggle on defense, and particularly against the run all year. With the schedule getting a lot tougher too, they’ve got their hands full.
Defensive Backs
Not a very good game from the DB’s either, which is typically expected when allowing 39 points, especially to a team who hadn’t scored a single TD the entire year. Trumaine Johnson was beat several times by Pierre Garcon, NRC got smoked for a huge pass as well, though he did nearly get a pick-six. Outside of that, there wasn’t much notables here. The injury to Lamarcus Joyner’s hamstring is going to be a day-to-day injury.
Special Teams
Awful, awful job. Tavon Austin had a fumbled punt, Pharoh Cooper had a fumbled kickoff in crucial time, and Blake Countess had an awful offside penalty that extended a 49ers drive – which led to a touchdown. These guys really need to get it together.
Coaching
I’m conflicted here. One side of me wants to give a great grade for how incredible the offense looks under Sean McVay, but at the same time the defense has looked awful under Wade Phillips, and Special teams had an awful game too. Two negatives outweigh one positive.