Three unlikely heroes will shine on LA Rams game day

The NFL Playoffs Divisional Round kicks off today, beginning at 1:35 pm PT.  And have you heard? The LA Rams are playing today at Lambeau Field. And when the teams line up to face one another, that is likely the point in time when all of the concerns and nervousness pause for the moment. But just for that moment. As soon as the football leaves the tee, the mind flips form what might happen to what is happening. Until that moment, everything is possible.

But from the moment that football starts to move, players will too. The LA Rams need to move faster, need to run harder, need to pass more accurately, need to catch more proficiently, need to block more powerfully and need to tackle more adeptly. Do that, and the Rams will win the game.

Simple enough, right? Well in theory perhaps. But it’s the fact that the Rams are facing the most successful team in the NFC, and all 53 players for the Green Bay Packers are trying to achieve the same goals on the same football field that adds complicating factors to the outcome.

What the LA Rams need are some players to step up and play the hero. No, I’m not talking about capes, shields, or suits of armor. I’m talking about the players on the roster who are wise enough to recognize when a moment is huge, and talented enough to step up and sieze that moment when it happens.

So who will it be? Well, the list of names you may expect here likely includes DL Aaron Donald, DB Jalen Ramsey, or DB John Johnson III. It may even include RB Cam Akers or WR Robert Woods. But heroics comes in all shapes and sizes. And in a game with the scrutiny and intensity like this one, will the most obvious players be the heroes?

QB Goff

Jared Goff is not expected to play well. And it’s that reason that has prompted me to add a good game by the Rams starting quarterback to the top of today’s 3 bold claims list. But just how likely is that? Well, to be honest, pretty likely.  Goff is a young quarterback who has seen postseason competition very quickly in his NFL career.  Young and experienced?

But along the way, folks have come to set the bar too high on Goff, and then too low. So many fans talk about wanting the 2018 version of Jared Goff to return. Well, if you check the stats, you may have missed the fact that the 2018 NFL Playoff run by Goff was just a 55.7 percent completion rate, averaging just over 200 yards a game, and throwing for just one touchdown and two interceptions.  And yet, the recollections of Goff in that year was a far superior quarterback to the one who will take the field in Gree Bay Wisconsin today.

Goff is Goff. Yes, there will be games where you wonder if he deserves to start, and other games where you will be convinced that he doesn’t. And then, when you least expect it, he will deliver a beauty in a game that you never saw coming.  The key is that he does need a bit of a running game to be most effective. The Rams offense can deliver that today, opening the door for Goff to make some throws deep downfield.

RB Brown

Malcolm Brown is the LA Rams’ version of duct tape. If the Rams offensive line springs a leak, the coach sends Brown onto the field to help plug up the leak and block blitzing linebackers. If the Rams offense is a bit squeakly and wobbly in the running game, the coach sends Brown onto the field to rush for yards in the tough going.  And if the Rams passing game is not moving the chains, the coach sends Brown onto the field to respark the aerial assault and get some momentum going on getting first downs.

RB Malcolm Brown is so vital to the Rams offense, and yet he is one of the many players whose true value is not reflected in the box stats at the end of the game. Fantasy football owners do not get any extra credit by playing a running back who blocks exceptionally well, who can run the ball for a first down on short yardage situations, or who can catch a seven-yard pass to place the down and distance into a very manageable situation

The Packers defense have focused on stopping rookie running back Cam Akers all week. And have likely been taught to expect a pass when Malcolm Brown takes the field. So you can look for the Rams to toss a curve ball in this game, and get Akers heavily involved in the passing game, while Brown becomes the go-to guy on short yardage runs and running for a score in the red zone.

Brown opened the season with 79 yards rushing, 31 yards receiving, and two rushing touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. Look for Brown to have a similar type of game in this one. A solid day rushing, a few receptions to move the chains, and a couple of hard rushing touchdowns.

DL Brockers

Michael Brockers is often the ‘other guy’ when talking about the LA Rams defense. In fact, sometimes he is overlooked completely.  After all, he is the steady-freddie of this defense. He shows up and plays hard each week, every week. Sometimes he gets a quarterback sack. Sometimes he does not. But he does make plays each week. Right now, offensive lines are focused on stopping the Rams defensive front in the following order: Aaron Donald first, Leonard Floyd second, Morgan Fox third.

Brockers does not make the top three list as far as concerns to the opponent’s offensive line. In fact, he may not even make the top five. But don’t let that fool you, Brockers can be dangerous when need be, and the Rams will need him to be dangerous in this game. After all, he is the senior veteran on the defense. Who better to be the lead dog?

Brockers sat out in week 17, serving on the reserve/COVID-19 roster for a week. While he successfully returned to the active 53-man roster, the week’s hiatus served like a mini-bye for him. Now, completely rested and healed, he is set to take a lead role on the defense this week.

He had huge games against both New England and against Chicago this season. In both games, he was rotated in and out frequently, ending the game with little more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. Even when his defensive snaps are managed, Brockers has been huge in big games. Look for Brockers to be very active in run defense today, and even to record a sack on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The LA Rams are not the type of team to strike fear into their opponent. In fact, many of the Rams opponents have been favored and will continue to be favored against them throughout the postseason. But it really matters not, except to give the Rams one more opportunity to exceed expectations. The Rams are three wins away from winning the Super Bowl. and just two years away from competing in a Super Bowl. Don’t believe that the Rams do not belong in this game. And these three players will prove why.