6 Rams who need to show up big time in Week 11 vs the New England Patriots

(6) - Rams secondary

I am stunned by the Rams secondary this season. They are playing behind a fierce pass rush, so they don't have to cover all day. And they have been opportunistic, hauling in nine interceptions which lands them in ninth-place in the NFL for that statistic. But the secondary has allowed 16 passing touchdowns, 24th-best in the NFL.

That dismal showing is confirmed by the defensive backs allowing 219.6 passing yards per game, no better than 22nd-best in the league. In short, despite the occasional heroics. this group has yet to congeal. Entering Week 11? Time's up.

I can't say that I'm disappointed with the safeties of this group. They are performing at least to expectations. But I have to admit that the cornerbacks have been underwhelming so far this year. The group has struggled to shut down the rallies of opposing offenses. That has made it difficult for the Rams sputtering offense to take leads in games. And we know that when the Rams fall behind, there goes the running game and here comes the passes.

(5) - Tight end group

When the season opened, so much praise and bravado emerged from the LA Rams training camp that I was certain that the team would have grand production from the group. That never happened. As the team prepares to enter Week 11, here are the receiving totals from the team's three tight ends:

• Colby Parkinson | 23 of 36 | 63.8 % catch rate | 214 receiving yards | 0 TDs
• Hunter Long | 5 of 5 | 100 % catch rate | 43 receiving yards | 0 TDs
• Davis Allen | 6 of 11 | 54.5 % catch rate | 39 receiving yards | 0 TDs
• All Tight Ends | 34 of 52 | 65.4 % catch rate | 296 receiving yards

In terms of receiving yards, there are 17 tight ends with better production in 2024 than the entire LA Rams tight end room. And I hate to point this out, but three roster slots for this group if the team is leaning heavily into a 12-personnel package offense. It's not. After nine games, the Rams have run two tight ends on offense just 17 percent of the time. And that includes short yardage scenarios as well.

The group must do better.

The problem is, the team has invested three roster spots in the group and it's not the only offensive position that has a heavy body count compared to what the group does on game day. The offense needs to use two tight ends, if for no other reason than to make use of all the excess talent on the roster.