The Rams’ trip to Melbourne started with a thud. Los Angeles fell 27-7 to the 49ers on Thursday, and the opener never really found a rhythm. The passing game sputtered, the defense got pushed around, and the coaching staff came out of it with plenty to answer for.
Matthew Stafford was at the center of the offensive mess. He opened the first half 4-for-11 for 65 yards and an interception, and the entire aerial attack looked out of sync against San Francisco’s secondary. His 61.2 passer rating was his lowest in a game since Week 1 of 2018, and his PFF grade came in at 42.3.
There were a few bright spots, though they were limited. The backfield offered the clearest one.
Blake Corum and Kyren Williams handled 21 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, with Corum averaging 5.4 yards per carry and flashing the burst he showed last season. After offseason questions about how the workload would be divided, the Rams leaned into a near 50-50 split between the two backs.
At receiver, Puka Nacua was the exception. He helped set up the Rams’ only touchdown, but the rest of the group barely made a mark.
Davante Adams caught just three passes and Jordan Whittington added one. With three wide receivers on the field, the Rams posted -0.66 EPA per play, a number that points straight to the lack of depth in that room.
The tight end group was supposed to be part of a bigger plan, especially with all the offseason talk about 12 and 13 personnel. Instead, it was quiet all night.
Even with three tight ends on the field at times, the first Rams tight end catch didn’t come until the third quarter, when Colby Parkinson finally got involved. The group finished with four catches for 31 yards, Tyler Higbee lost a fumble, and Terance Ferguson was held without a catch despite all the preseason buzz.
The offensive line didn’t create the kind of edge the Rams needed, either. Kevin Dotson gave up five pressures, and while the unit opened some room in the run game, it didn’t generate enough push on the 4th-and-1 at the goal line to get Stafford into the end zone. That’s a problem for a group that’s expected to do more.
Up front on defense, the Rams were even more disappointing. Myles Garrett was completely invisible, Braden Fiske’s second-year issues carried over, and Kobie Turner and Fiske couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback. The 49ers also started leaning on the run in the second half, and the Rams’ front didn’t stop the bleeding.
The linebackers were exposed behind them. Nate Landman and Shaun Dolac both missed tackles, and Landman in particular was targeted in coverage. He allowed seven catches on eight targets, and the 49ers made that look like the soft spot it is for this defense.
The secondary didn’t clean up the mess, either. Quentin Lake did come up with an interception, but too many other plays slipped through.
Jaylen Watson gave up the touchdown to Mike Evans in the end zone, and Kam Kinchens was the defender on the deep touchdown to Demarcus Robinson that swung momentum to the 49ers. After investing heavily at cornerback this offseason, the Rams need much more from that group.
Special teams wasn’t the main reason for the loss, but it still had a costly lapse. Deebo Samuel ripped off a 45-yard return to start the second half, and that set up a 49ers touchdown. Harrison Mevis made his lone extra point, and Ethan Evans placed two of his three punts inside the 20, but the return game still changed the feel of the game.
The coaching didn’t hold up well either. Sean McVay and his staff had a team that didn’t look ready, and that falls on the head coach.
The offensive plan felt disconnected, and a stronger commitment to the run could have helped Stafford settle in earlier. The decision to go for it with a quarterback sneak can be questioned, too.
On defense, Chris Shula stayed with a zone-heavy approach even though the Rams’ cornerbacks have had success in man coverage. In the end, it was not a good enough performance from any level of the operation.
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Fred Warner Just Added To Rams Frustration After Australia Loss
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Fred Warner added a little more sting to the discussion afterward by pointing to that abbreviated arrival as a possible factor in the Rams struggles. Matthew Stafford had his worst passer rating as a starter, while San Francisco got the steadier side of the matchup it wanted behind Brock Purdy and a productive run game, leaving the Rams to sort through both the loss and the questions that came with the travel. [Read more 🡒]