LA Rams roll over and play dead for Tennessee Titans in SNF Week 9 loss

The LA Rams needed the win more, but that certainly did not show up on the football field. Rather it was a very physical Tennessee Titans team that opened hot and never eased up. The LA Rams actually opened this game by scoring first with a field goal in the first quarter with 3:46  remaining. That was the last bit of good news for the Rams.

While the LA Rams offense did not score a touchdown in this one, Matthew Stafford did manage to reach the end zone with his pass. Unfortunately, it was a pick-six off the hands of Stafford in the second quarter, putting the Titans up by a score of 14-3, and putting the game effectively out of reach the entire time for the entire game.

Both teams score two more times. The Rams kicked two field goals, and the Titans scored two more touchdowns.

Silver lining special teams

Matt Gay was a bright spot for the Rams. Wide receiver J.J. Koski returned one punt for seven yards. Running back Buddy Howell returned two kickoffs for 34 yards. Hope for the special teams in a very forgettable game? If you need a silver lining, let’s go with that.

The defense was better at times. But then again, it was worse at times. The defense allowed just 194 yards in this game. But the Rams allowed the Tennessee Titans to convert on both fourth-down conversions. They held the Titans to just four of 12 on third-down conversions. The Rams even held the Titans to just 3.5 yards per play. But this was not a normal game. This was a game of winning in the trenches.

The Titans defensive line won all night long.

The offense was a complete mess in this one. The lone touchdown pass for the Rams came amidst the garbage time with less than a minute to go in the game. The LA Rams entered the game allowing just four quarterback sacks. They surrendered five sacks in this one game. Stafford threw two picks in this one. Even as the Titans proved that they were giving up the running yards to stop the pass, the Rams stuck to the drop-back passes that were completely ineffective.

Rams leave SoFi with plenty of questions and doubts

Statistics really did not reflect just how the Titans had the Rams on their heels for the entire game. The most disappointing aspect? The Rams will now face their NFC West nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers before the Week 11 BYE week.

The Rams are normally a very disciplined and efficient team. But after their 12 penalties for 115 yards, two interceptions, and five quarterback sacks, the team has put a template for ‘here’s how you beat us’ out there for every other team to watch, script, and deploy.

In terms of that high-octane offense? It was grounded hard. Stafford averaged just 6.1 yards-per-pass, and the receivers averaged just 9.5 yards per catch. The Rams’ longest pass plays in this one were a 26-yard pass to tight end Tyler Higbee, a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Robert Woods, and finally, a 20-yard pass to Van Jefferson. Do the Rams miss that deep threat already?

This game leaves the Rams at 1-2 against good teams. At the end of the month, the Rams will face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. In December, the Rams will travel to face the  Arizona Cardinals. Finally, the team will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in January 2022.

Can the Rams regroup?  The team will have a hard time doing so. But now, even a tougher time getting anyone to believe that they can.