Rams Week 16 report card: Grading every position vs. Jets

Matthew Stafford has had better days. He only threw for 110 yards and a touchdown, while also tossing a bad interception where he overthrew Demarcus Robinson on a deep ball. He was playing in tough, cold conditions but that can’t be blamed for his poor numbers.

Kyren Williams seems to be getting better as the year goes on, rushing for a season-high 122 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown. He was efficient and ran with impressive power, as he always does, carrying the offense on a day when the passing game was ineffective. Blake Corum played relatively well, too, and he should’ve had another 32 yards if not for a pre-snap penalty on Hunter Long.

Puka Nacua was the only wide receiver with at least four catches and more than 24 yards, the second straight week Los Angeles’ wideouts were absent outside of No. 17. Cooper Kupp wasn’t very productive, Demarcus Robinson didn’t have a catch and Tutu Atwell’s had just one reception.

Tyler Higbee made his presence felt in his first game since January, scoring a touchdown from 11 yards out in the fourth quarter. All four of the Rams’ tight ends played almost equally and though Higbee was the only one to contribute as a receiver, they all helped in the run game as blockers.

For the third week in a row, the Rams didn’t allow a single sack. Stafford only took one hit in the entire game and was pressured just three times, operating from a clean pocket throughout the afternoon. The running lanes for Williams were wide, too, which helped the Rams move the ball consistently on the ground.

The only hit the Rams landed on Aaron Rodgers all game long was Kamren Curl’s strip-sack. The defensive line generated very little pressure on the quarterback and though there were positive plays made against the run, the big men up front need to do a better job of collapsing the pocket and making passers uncomfortable.

Jared Verse led the team with four pressures and had a fumble recovery, but Byron Young was held without a single one for the second time in the last four games. Michael Hoecht had one pressure but no one got to Rodgers for a single hit.

Omar Speights made a couple of key plays, specifically stopping Breece Hall on fourth-and-1 for no gain. He also had one pass breakup and finished with five tackles. Christian Rozeboom played well against the run and was second on the team with eight total tackles, but he did miss an open-field tackle on Breece Hall on third-and-11, allowing a conversion.

Ahkello Witherspoon broke up another pass, his fourth in the last two games, though Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams both got the better of him a few times in the game. His missed tackle on Hall on the same play as Rozeboom was disappointing, though.

Darious Williams had a decent game, allowing only two catches on five targets, and Quentin Lake played well with seven total tackles.

Kam Curl made a game-changing play on his strip-sack to set up Higbee’s go-ahead touchdown, perfectly containing Rodgers in the pocket on a well-timed blitz. Kamren Kinchens made four tackles and Jaylen McCollough led the team with nine tackles, also forcing an incompletion in the end zone before halftime.

Outside of Joshua Karty’s missed PAT, the special teams unit was great. Jordan Whittington helped down a punt at the 1-yard line and also recovered a muffed punt at the end of the game.