Los Angeles Rams hope Aqib Talib makes big difference against Michael Thomas

Unlike the regular season meeting, the Los Angeles Rams will have Aqib Talib on the field when facing the New Orleans Saints to give the defense a better chance of stopping the defense.

Back in the regular season, it would be a huge understatement to say the Los Angeles Rams were embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints on the defensive side of the football when seeing how they were able to put up 45 points on Wade Phillips‘ squad.

From Drew Brees tossing four touchdowns to Alvin Kamara finding the end zone three total times himself, there were plenty of factors that worked against the Rams in this one that resulted in their 45-35 loss to the Saints.

However, the one factor that always stood out the most was how Aqib Talib was absent from this contest, as the veteran cornerback was unfortunately dealing with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for a good amount of 2018.

With Talib out, Los Angeles learned the hard way that Marcus Peters isn’t always as effective on defense when his teammate is missing in action, especially during this loss to New Orleans in which Michael Thomas had himself a field day.

During that contest, Peters had zero answers for stopping the former Ohio State star after watching Thomas torch the Rams with 12 catches for 211 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown.

While Thomas will most likely find a way to catch plenty of passes in the NFC Championship since he’s one of the top receivers in the NFL for a reason, the presence of Talib should prevent another disaster on defense for the Rams like November.

Talib’s presence alone should make things a lot more difficult for Thomas on offense for the Saints while hopefully providing Peters with a much needed confidence boost as well.

After shredding the defense of the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round by hauling in 12 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown, Thomas would love nothing more than to continue the momentum when facing the Rams with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

It’s certainly not going to be easy for Los Angeles on defense to keep the football out of Thomas’ hands, but at least with Talib playing this time when it matters the most, the unit will have a much better chance of making it happen.