4 ways Rams can improve for second meeting with Saints in 2019 NFC Championship

2. Put Talib on Thomas

Los Angeles learned the hard way at times during the regular season that Marcus Peters isn’t always as effective at cornerback when he doesn’t have a reliable teammate like Aqib Talib to help make the job easier.

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While there were numerous frustrating performances by Peters throughout the regular season, nothing stood out more than the game against the Saints when Michael Thomas had himself a career day by catching 12 passes for 211 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown.

Rightfully so, Thomas has earned a reputation for becoming one of the top wide receivers in the NFL, but numbers like these against the Rams was completely unacceptable for the Rams.

One can only imagine how different the results would have been if Talib were healthy enough to play in that contest, but at least Los Angeles will get a second chance to see on Sunday.

Thomas will most likely find a way to haul in numerous passes since Brees will likely provide him with plenty of targets, but Talib’s presence alone is enough to make a huge difference. Unlike Peters, Talib has more experience, and has proven to be more reliable when needed in these kinds of situations, which is part of the reason why Los Angeles acquired the veteran in the offseason when they did.