LA Rams 12 personnel unloads both offensive barrels

LA Rams 12 personnel powers up both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett and is the perfect formation for week six.

The LA Rams have known about their week six face-off against the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers for months. As much as the 49ers want this game, the LA Rams want it that much more. So while the 49ers plan and scheme, the Rams have been slowly honing their craft.  With each week, the LA Rams offense gets better at one or two chapters of the offensive playbook.  It’s time to unlock the entire thing.  That means that both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett should be ready for the ball to come their way.

The obvious weapons are Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Their talent and camaraderie have been the reason the Rams offense is so effective. While no defense has shut both wide receivers down this year, you can bet that the 49ers will have something up their sleeve to attempt it. In 2019, the Rams encountered a swarming 49ers defense that had QB Jared Goff on the run most of the game. The Rams eventually discovered a way to counter by leaning upon two tight ends.

12 personnel package

We know what this LA Rams can do if they go with a 12 personnel package. Depending on the players, the Rams could focus upon the run, a deep pass, flooding a zone, or work the middle of the offense with double-crossing routes. And we know from the HBO Hard Knocks series that the Rams worked their 12 personnel packages extensively in the off-season. Most likely for week six. Mostly for the game against the San Francisco 49ers.

From that 12 personnel package, the Rams can unlock a stacked or flood to one zone, attack the defense deep, or in the middle with crossing pattern. Similarly, the running attack can attack the middle or perimeter of the defense, or simply use misdirection to use an aggressive defense’s speed against them. Here is a perfect illustration of the Rams flood concept.

Flood routes overwhelm shaky secondaries. That’s a perfect description of the 49ers secondary.

Fight fire with fire

When the Rams faced the Philadelphia Eagles, who have both Zach Erth and Dallas Goedert, they launched three touchdown passes towards their own tight end, Tyler Higbee. Now the LA Rams face both George Kittle and Jordan Reed, who have been a significant part of their offense so far.  While the Rams defense will work hard to neutralize both, the offense will have its own strategy.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has small easter eggs embedded in his offense.  Against the Eagles tight ends, he routed much of his aerial assault through the tight end, Tyler Higbee. Against the Dallas Cowboys and their star running back Ezekiel Elliott, he ran much of the offense through the running back, Malcolm Brown.  With Kittle and Reed, the Rams will counter with Higbee and Everett. This could be a game where one or both tight ends have 100 yards receiving.