Before the Los Angeles Rams played the Jacksonville Jaguars, I gave five predictions for the game. Let's take a look at which predictions came true and which didn't.
With Puka Nacua out, Sean McVay will be forced to confront the one question he has been able to avoid for the season. That question is how do the Rams find a way to win without Puka Nacua? When confronted with this question last season, the answer was that they couldn't. They also didn't have Cooper Kupp during that time but this season, Davante Adams is healthy and ready to roll.
Adams has at least ten catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns as McVay reminds the NFL why he's a veteran NFL head coach and not even 40 years of age.
Result: Five catches for 35 yards and three touchdowns. While Matthew Stafford distributed the ball and didn't press downfield, his connection with Adams was electric in the end zone with Adams bullying defensive backs for the scores.
Puka Nacua is out and while Jordan Whittington should see a lot more snaps, a byproduct of Nacua's absence will be that Mumpfield should see more snaps as well. Mumpfield made his first catch of his career last week and was close to his second after hitting a silky smooth move.
Why Mumpfield hasn't been used more is beyond me but trust when I say he's a true talent.
Result: Mumpfield caught his first NFL touchdown on the Rams' first offensive drive of the game.
Young currently sits at second in sacks, .5 behind Broncos' Nik Bonitto. The Jaguars have two tackles that are okay. Anton Harrison has been showing tremendous growth this season but Walker Little has struggled and with Young's versatility, he will have avenues to Lawrence.
Result: Young secured 1.5 sacks, retaking the lead while extending his record for most consecutive games in franchise history in which at least a half sack was recorded.
The Jaguars have a brilliant offense but Trevor Lawrence's ball still has a tendency to go a bit high when his process is sped up. Thus, I believe Forbes secures his first pick with the franchise.
Result: Forbes was unable to snag an interception but was solid in coverage and was hitting ball carriers without a care in the world.
Verse secured 4.5 sacks as a rookie and entering the season, the thing he preached to the media was that he left sacks on the board last season and that he's taken a new approach to his craft, which should increase his production. He also spoke about learning to modify his attack based on who is flanking him.
Verse was on the money with those words and considering he sits at three sacks currently, I predict he secures four and five on Sunday.
Result: Verse secured a sack from the first play of scrimmage but was unable to secure his second. He did have two QB hits and was continually applying pressure, speeding up Trevor Lawrence but sits at half a sack behind his rookie mark.
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