The Los Angeles Rams secured their 1st round bye with their victory in week 17, earning some much needed rest. With Todd Gurley, Andrew Whitworth, and several other key players nursing injuries, the bye will help us all sleep a little better as we watch Wild Card Weekend.
Let’s take a look back at Hotdaddywags Rams to watch from last week and see how they performed.
Aaron Donald
Donald was in peak form in the season finale, even though the stat sheet may not show it. He had an early sack and 3 more QB hits while fighting through double teams all game. We hear the term ‘generational talent’ more often than we should in the NFL, but Donald truly is a man among boys in the trenches.
C.J. Anderson
Todd who?
I kid, but in all honestly Anderson has been a godsend to Jared Goff and this offense. He is a yard shy of 300 yards in the last 2 games and has given the Rams another aspect to their running game to take some pressure off the young QB’s shoulders.
I can’t wait to see how McVay works Anderson into the gameplan when Gurley is healthy.
Gerald Everett
Everett was a ghost. There’s no nice way to put it. Sure the Rams didn’t need him to be a huge contributor, but he didn’t even get a target from Goff. The resurgence of the running game is opening up big play-action gains for the Rams, but I’d personally like to see young Gerald more involved in the short passing game.
Mark Barron
Barron is an enigma. He will make a big play, then shoot himself in the foot several plays later. At this point he is what he is though. He’s an inconsistent player capable of making some impact plays, but you have to learn to live with his brain farts as well.
I’m not sure he’ll be around in 2019.
Just as C.J. Anderson has been a godsend for the offense, Talib has been the same for the defense. With a competent DB opposite him, Marcus Peters has been much improved and the LBs haven’t been relied upon to cover as much in coverage.
The end result is a Rams defense that can be aggressive and try to make the big play – knowing that the back end is covered (for the most part).