3 Takeaways From the Rams’ Confusing Week 3 Loss

Stopping the Run

The two times the Rams faced the Eagles last season, it resulted in Saquon Barkley rushing for more than 200 yards in each game. The Rams knew that if they wanted to win, stopping Barkley and their rushing attack was step one.

As a team, the Rams held the Eagles to less than 100 rushing yards total, and Barkley only ran for 55 yards on 18 carries. He was ineffective all game, and the Rams took him out of the equation. They learned their lesson last season, and it resulted in his biggest run only going for 12 yards.

The Rams signed Poona Ford in free agency largely for his run-stopping ability, and that was in full effect against the Eagles. He had a sack, one quarterback hit, and three total tackles. The entire Rams defensive line was locked in on stopping the Eagles from running the ball, and it worked.

All game, the Rams were committed to stopping the run, and for the majority of the game, it worked. The Eagles' offense looked anemic, and it looked like the Rams had cracked the code on how to beat the Eagles. That was until they got it together.

Secondary Problems

The Rams dared Jalen Hurts all game to beat them through the air, given how much they committed to stopping the run. With his back against the wall, Hurts delivered and started terrorizing the Rams' secondary through the air.

The Rams' defensive backs allowed back-to-back 30-yard strikes to AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert, which resulted in a touchdown and gave the Eagles the spark they needed to claw back into the game.

The Rams' secondary is missing star power, but I believe their defensive line could overcome that, and they can still become a top defense in the NFL. Yet after the last game, I'm convinced they cannot keep relying on their defense substantially to win against good teams.

The Eagles exposed how vulnerable the back-half of the Rams' defense is, and it's a serious liability to their Super Bowl chances. Nothing the Rams secondary showed me in their game that would convince me if these two teams met in the playoffs, things would play out differently, and that's a major problem.

Special Teams Execution

More so than any individual defense or offensive effort, the story of the game came at the end, where the Eagles were able to block two field goal attempts, one of them being returned for a touchdown to end the game.

This was an inexcusable way for the Rams to lose, especially after they dominated against the Eagles all game. Week three saw a lot of blocked field goals across the NFL, but if the Rams were able to score on any of their last few possessions, they would've won, and their inability to score in crunch time scares me.

Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis did an excellent job of going up in the air and taking up space, swatting down the ball at the right time. Still, special teams execution has to be a priority for the Rams moving forward.

Having two field goals blocked in a must-win scenario doesn't bode well for their future successes. They can't let this loss linger in their mind for too long, and they can't underestimate the Colts either. It'll be interesting to see if the Rams take these lessons learned to heart.

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