Super Bowl week is upon us and it’s time to breakdown
the final matchup for the ultimate prize,
The
Vince Lombardi Trophy!!!
The Rams entered the season with the highest of
aspirations with an abundance of moves to help bolster their roster. When all
was said and done, the Rams finished the season tied for the best record in the
league at 13-3 and now get their chance to fight for the Super Bowl. The
victory in New Orleans in the NFC Championship didn’t come without controversy,
as an obvious blown call placed the Rams in the best situation to tie, and then
win the game.
Nevertheless, The Rams are in the Super Bowl for the
first time since 2001, and should be viewed positively as they did earn it
throughout the season.
The Rams Offense:
Looking back to the last two NFL seasons in terms of
offense, you would be hard pressed to find a more potent, high powered,
balanced unit then the McVay coached LA Rams.
The 2018 Rams mirrored previous versions of the
greatest show on turf, racking up statistical achievement to rival the best in
the business. Starting with once pegged draft bust – Jared Goff led the charge
completing his best season of his short career, racking up over 4600 yards
while throwing for 32 touchdown passes. With that type of success, it’s no
surprise that LA employed two receivers (Brandin Cooks & Robert Woods) to
secure over 80+ receptions and over 1200+ yards each. It’s not inconceivable to
think that the Rams could’ve had a third receiver hit 1000 receiving yards had
Cooper Kupp not been lost to a season ending injury.
With all the discussion regarding the Rams superb pass
attack; their run game is perhaps the best in the NFL behind super star Todd
Gurley. Todd was an absolute beast on the field this season securing 1800+
total yards while scoring a whopping 21 total touchdowns. As the season progressed,
Gurley found himself in the NFL MVP conversation until things began to change
around week 11. Facing the Kansas City Chiefs in what was the most anticipated
contest of the year with two juggernauts trading blows like a heavy weight battle;
Gurley was left primarily off the stat-sheet. Getting word that Todd wasn’t 100%
left coach McVay to adjust his offensive plan. Todd rebounded in week 13 with a
stellar performance, only to lose steam in weeks 14 & 15 ultimately sitting
out the final two weeks of the regular season.
The 2018 season was a giant success for the Rams
offensively, as they became a true unstoppable force dominating their
competition. Behind the offensive mastermind of coach McVay, this Rams club
will be a tough opponent for Bill Belichick and the Patriots to stop.
The Offensive Game Plan:
Many questions will arise this week regarding the
health of Gurley, wondering how he’ll be used verse the Patriots in the Super
Bowl. It’s our contention that coach McVay pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes
in the NFC Championship limiting Gurley to bring doubt as to how he’ll be used
in the Super Bowl.
The Rams will have to come out strong in this game
moving the ball with great efficiency while scoring touchdowns rather than
field goals forcing Tom Brady to answer the bell on almost every drive.
Establishing the run game will be incredibly important to control the clock
while dictating the pace of this contest. New England will undoubtedly try and
confuse Jared Goff with off-look blitz packages which could be negated with
proper screen passes to both the running backs and the receivers. Spreading the
ball deep to Brandin Cooks to limit the amount of stacked boxes will be a key
strategy to open up short pass plays and the play action pass.
Throughout the season, coach McVay has done a great
job to remain calm under pressure and now faces his greatest task to beat
future hall of famer and perhaps the greatest head coach of all time. Sticking
to his play book while not adjusting his prowess to much will be important, as
overthinking certain situations will be the difference in winning and losing
this Super Bowl for the Rams. Los Angeles has a multitude of weapons at their disposal
and we should see a few plays head to lesser productive players in hopes to get
the Patriots defense off their game. Running the ball will be fundamentally important
and should be the guiding principle in this contest for LA.
Simply, if the Rams play their brand of football
without falling off course, they should be victorious in this contest making
Sean McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history to take home the coveted
trophy. Our fear for the Rams is the lack of overall experience which could be
their downfall if things happen to go sideways early. Forcing New England to play
their game, while dictating the tempo offensively, should allow the Rams ample opportunity
to hold a lead in this ball game.
The Rams Defense:
During the course of the 2018 offseason, the Rams were
extremely busy shoring up inadequacies on the defensive side of the ball
proving that was their greatest weakness from the previous campaign.
It was clear that lacking skilled players on the
backend led to their demise in 2017, to which LA signed former Packer Sam
Shields while trading for both Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, gave this bunch a
completely new identity. Not being satisfied, the Rams also signed Ndamukong
Suh to bolster the defensive front while trading for Dante Fowler before the
trade deadline to complete a unit that would be able to carry this club throughout
the post season.
After the abundance of transactions to solidify this
defense, the outcome over the course of the entire season could be classified
as somewhat underwhelming as this Rams defense finished the year with the 19th
overall ranked unit in the NFL. Given the amount of money spent on this side of
the ball, lacking the overall dominance was perhaps the greatest disappointment.
With that said, many bright spots do exist on this defense starting with NFL
MVP candidate Aaron Donald. Donald had a season for the ages racking up a
league leading 20.5 sacks and putting the league on notice that he is the best
defensive player in the NFL.
When all was said and done, Coach Wade Phillips had
this unit more as a bend but don’t break entity rather than the game changing
powerhouse we all believed they would become. Still the season was filled with
many positives leaving little doubt that they could in fact change the course
of the game with a few sound plays.
The Defensive Game Plan:
Like all teams in the NFL, understanding how to stop
Tom Brady and this Patriot offense is one of the world’s great mysteries. Throughout
their dominating rein on the league, figuring out a game plan and the correct
way to execute that plan will be key in this contest.
Stopping Rob Gronkowski should poise to be the biggest
challenge given that no player outside of Aqib Talib could match toe-for-toe
with the big man. Given that Gronk may be the game breaker, the Patriots run
attack will be front and center led by Sony Michel and James White. This has
been the bread and butter for New England this season as Sony has carried the
load on the ground, while White provided a career best in statistical achievement
in catching passes out of the backfield.
This Patriot offense is dictated through the run game
and short passes nickel and diming the opposition all the way down the field.
It will be extremely important for Wade Phillips to limit the amount of blitz
packages forcing his front four to provide all the pressure. Donald and Suh
will have to be on point with Brockers and Fowler finding those mismatches knowing
that their teammates will see double teams all game. If the Rams front four can
stifle the run game, covering the dump off passes to James White will be key as
that is the Patriots way of opening up the run game. Playing man to man with
limited zones while hoping Donald and company can get to Brady before he passes
short will be the difference in this match.
LA will have their hands full as the Patriots can
attack and adjust in so many ways it could leave Wade scratching his head.
Historically, allowing Brady to hang in the pocket dissecting the defense will
end in disaster. The Rams will have to score a plethora of points on offense in
hopes that their defense can make a stop or two during the course of the game.
LA could come out victorious, but taking away the top
two options will be paramount in that coming to fruition.
Good luck to the Rams and their fans on Super Bowl
Sunday!
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