LA Rams rapid roster review for remainder of 2021 season

How did the Rams pull off a win on Week 14?

Some have suggested that the LA Rams victory over the NFL’s best Arizona Cardinals was not an upset. I beg to differ. The Rams were forced to promote and activate players for the Monday Night Football game with almost no notice. Who for example?

Well, they made some rapid roster moves:

We cannot overemphasize the fact that the Rams defense basically had to reconstruct their secondary in minutes to face the Arizona Cardinals passing attack. The Rams had to populate their pass defense with seldom-used David Long Jr., Kareem Orr, Nick Scott, and Terrell Burgess.  While the pass defense allowed Kyler Murray to complete 32 of 49 passes for 383 yards, he did not throw a touchdown pass but threw two interceptions.  Truth be told, his 65.3 percent completion rate was his lowest mark of the 2021 NFL season.

Unsung offensive heroes

On offense, the Rams relied upon center Coleman Shelton, and a point-blank promotion of Joseph Noteboom to start at right tackle. The offensive line may have allowed three sacks, but they got the best of the Cardinals’ defensive front. Stafford completed 23 of 30 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.  But perhaps the key was a persistent ability to run the ball effectively, a naggingly effective strategy that forced the Cardinals’ defensive backs to cheat by pulling in, allowing Rams receivers to get behind them for long touchdown catches.

The Rams are not over the worst yet. But this could be a blessing in disguise. With the Rams sitting five key starters and will winning, those players had a chance to rest and return refreshed for a strong playoff push.

The Week 14 win was miraculous. But now the team must reach down and pull off a similar effort at home against another NFC West Division rival. Can the Rams do it again? Stay tuned…