Rams in the House: Week 1; 49ers

It's the best time of the year, the huge wait from the past Super Bowl has faded and it's time to watch some football on the big screen again. For the Rams, this week had more meaning to it as there was a passing of the torch from Matt Stafford, a man who wasn't there for long, but left his mark in history as he would lead the team to a Super Bowl win. To a rookie with a lot to prove in the first round draft pick Taylen Green. A guy that most did not think should have been a first round pick. The Rams and Taylen would start the season off with a matchup with the 49ers who had our number last season. A divisional matchup that would have a 1st half full of fireworks, that would fizzle out in the 2nd half as it went from 59 points scored first half, to only 10 points scored in the 2nd half. Both teams would shine but it would end up with the Rams losing as they were unable to score any points in the 2nd half. Taylen Green's first start was not one to write home about, he went against a great defense and showed promise and poise at times, showing the crowd some hope for the future, but he also showed plays that you can only chock up to being rookie mistakes. He was unable to find his rhythm and that led to him not really being the factor for the team staying close in the game. He would end his first game with an abysmal stat line of 142 yds passing, 1 td-3 int. 13-30 on his passing with a QBR of 29.4. Those calling for Goff will look at this game especially as to why Taylen should stay back and learn more from a proven vet. He did better in the rushing attack with 4 carries for 40 yds, but even then, he would have 2 fumbles. 1 of which was a costly fumble when he dove instead of sliding that would get returned for 6. The rushing attack wasn't able to produce anything either. When the QB is leading the team in yards when you have 2 RBs carry the ball 16 times, that's not a recipe for success. Jarquez didn't showcase any of his progress from last season, rushing for 19 yds on 11 carries. Kyren wasn't much better as he would rack up 12 yds on 5. Taylen's struggles weren't his only fault, drops by the receiving core didn't help his case. Tutu Atwell was the most consistent guy this game, a guy who was on the verge of being off the team if it wasn't for his late season heroics last season. He would take 2 recs for 62 yds, one of which he would take to the crib, bagging Taylen's first career TD pass. Puka Nacua wasn't able to flash in this game, he would catch 4 passes for 42 yds, but had the opportunity to make much more happen if he was able to catch all his targets. Blake Corum would take 1 pass for 13 yds, getting him third on the team as the others didn't contribute much. Jarquez had 4 recs but only got 11 yds. Michael Pittman had 1-11. Terrance Ferguson got 1-3. The blocking wasn't great, there was a lot of pressure onto Taylen and most of his missed throws were a result of the pressure getting in. Steve Avila had given up a sack in the game as well. The defense was horrible, there are times when a game should be won by a team, and if you rush for 268 yds. It's hard to see why you would get a loss in any matchup. The duo of rushing backs were practically given no resistance as they were going anywhere they wanted without contact at the line of scrimmage. the worst rushing back for their team had 103 yds and 4.9 ypc. the other had 12.8 ypc with 166 yds overall. When it came down to pass defense, they weren't really there as Brock Purdy had over 300 yds and only took 1 int and 1 sack. It didn't help that 3 of the 4 defensive linemen on the Rams that were starting had left the game with an injury. Despite the talent, there is only so much a team can do when the trenches get demolished early. The second year guy Ty Hamilton was able to take down Purdy in the backfield which was nice, and Krys Barnes was able to pick him off but those would be some of the only success in this game. When your starting Safety, has the same amount of TFLs as the leader on the team, it isn't good. Both safeties led the team in total tackles too. The special teams was the only reason this game was close in the first half. Joshua Karty was perfect from the xp line. But the real star was Emmanuel Forbes, who would get 2 kick returns, and he brought both of them to the crib with his longest being a 96 yd one. He was unstoppable and helped Taylen not have as much pressure to start his career. With a disappointing loss to begin the season, The Rams have to look at some of this tape to understand what went wrong, and also look to find ways to reduce the injury bug as losing some of your best players instantly is not a recipe for success in any matchup. They look to bounce back with a matchup against the Broncos in Denver who are 1-0 after their dominant win.