4 love-it takeaways from LA Rams first preseason game

II:  Rams controlled the clock

We’d lobbied hard for the LA Rams to pay more attention to the time of possession last year. Well, in the first preseason game, the Rams appeared to have taken that to heart. In their first 2022 preseason game, the Rams won the time of possession battle, controlling the game clock for 33:04, while the LA Chargers had the football for just 26:56.

So why does that matter?

Controlling the game clock is a positive statistic for several reasons. When the offense has the football, the team can score. That is something that the Rams did, four times to be exact. Comparing that to just three punts, you can see how that is a solid showing in their first preseason game. In contrast, the Chargers scored three times and punted four times. So, ultimately it was the margin of victory.

Perkins plays well, again

The promising element of the Rams offense controlling the clock is that, rather than a Rams player winning a one-on-one battle in the game, holding the ball longer on offense indicates that the Rams offense, as a whole, was firing on all cylinders.

Quarterback Bryce Perkins, who played the entire game, continues to show progress and development.  He made the throws that he had to make, he pulled the ball down and ran when he had to, and he continued to keep the offense moving in a positive direction.

That ability to keep the Chargers’ offense off the field allowed the Rams’ defense to regroup, rest, and reset for the rest of the game. It also kept the team’s special teams in a positive scenario, allowing punter Cameron Dicker to put up a solid game for the Rams.

When the Rams had the football, QB Perkins was looking for a rookie wide receiver. Who? Who indeed.