St. Louis Rams League-Wide Statistical Leaders Through Week 6

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines (33) intercepts pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

While the St. Louis Rams record is certainly nothing to get excited over, they have, if nothing else, kept most game entertaining so far this year. By keeping games respectable, the Rams have been able to maintain relative offensive and defensive balance. For once, that has allowed a handful of Rams to sneak onto some of the statistical leaderboards in the NFL. We’ll take a look at some of those leaders now.

Note: Consider that most teams have yet to hit their Bye Week, as well as the fact that both the New York Jets and New England Patriots have an extra game under their belt from Thursday Night Football. 

Jared Cook – Receiving yards per game

Despite the big drop in the waning minutes of the Rams-Cowboys game that would end up being a deciding factor in the three-point loss, Jared Cook has been arguably the most consistent and reliable player in the St. Louis Rams receiving corps this season. After leading the Rams in receiving yards and receptions last year, he is currently ranked No.6 among tight ends in receiving yards per game (59.0). He also has managed an impressively-high 15 catches for first downs. Lastly, Cook is one of only three tight ends with 40+ targets and fewer than two drops on the year.

Joe Barksdale – Run Blocking Grade

“Not-so-mean Joe” Barksdale has been the most consistent player on the St. Louis Rams offensive line this season. The right side protector has allowed zero sacks and only four hits on the quarterback this season, despite the Rams regularly tossing the rock 40+ times per game. However, Barksdale has been most impressive in the ground game, with running backs averaging 4.3 yards per carry over his backside. As a result, he is currently graded as the No.1 overall run blocking offensive tackle in the NFL (+9.2). No one else is even close…

Alec Ogletree – Forced fumbles

While “the Tree” has still not broken out of his shell in the NFL, he is still putting up impressive numbers in his sophomore season and, more importantly, continuing to make “game changing” plays. Currently, Ogletree is tied for 3rd among linebackers in forced fumbles this season, and is one of only eight this year that have jarred the ball loose on multiple occasions. If only the rest of the squad would step up…

Aaron Donald – Run defense grade

Last week, Aaron Donald got his first NFL start, as the Rams unleashed their 2014 rookie class against the San Francisco 49ers. Even against the vaunted 49ers’ offensive line, Donald managed two pressures, four tackles, and two defensive stops. Despite being slotted further down the rotation to start the season, Pro Football Focus still has the 2014 draftee graded out among the Top 5 interior defensive linemen in the league. That grade is heavily bolstered by his No.3 ranking in run defense (+7.2), trailing only Damon Harrison and Ndamukong Suh in that department.

EJ Gaines – QB Rating in coverage

Robinson, Donald, Joyner, Mason, Alexander. All of those players heard their name called by the St. Louis Rams on Draft Day before EJ Gaines. The hometown stud out of Mizzou has been a diamond in the rough for Jeff Fisher and Co., filling in for the injured Trumaine Johnson and, potentially, winning the starting job with his performance so far this season. Gaines has allowed a respectably-low 50.0% catch rate in coverage, bolstered by three pass deflection and an interception in coverage. As a result, the rookie is allowing a mere 63.9 QB Rating when throw at this season, which ranks Top 10 among cornerbacks who have played at least 50% of their team’s defensive snaps. Also in the Top 10 are Brandon Flowers, Perrish Cox, and Chris Harris Jr., all of which will likely be in the mix for receiving an invitation to Hawaii in February.