How 6 Rams rookies can flip the entire NFC Playoff race on its ear in Week 3

The LA Rams are down but not out. Down is a subjective term, so let's reframe the matter with a few historic facts. Every starting offensive lineman, the starting tight end, the two top starting wide receivers, and a host of other players has been injured already this season. And it's only two games into the new NFL season. Adding insult to injury, the team is winless in two games. The Rams record is 0-2.

So what? The Rams have not started an NFL season 0-2 since 2011. And jumping out to a new season winless becomes its own problem. The pressure to win their first NFL game becomes the narrative, putting far more pressure on players already under great pressure. But now is the time for some rookies to step up and shock the entire NFL. Here's how:

(6) - OLB Jared Verse

The Rams have a good one in rookie OLB Jared Verse, He has been a non-stop tidal wave of chaos and power so far in two games. But being good on this defense is simply not good enough. He needs to be great. What does that mean? It means that he needs to be more than a 'supporting cast' member. This defense is on the ropes, the worst in the NFL. Someone has to step up and turn this thing around.

I think Jared Verse can be that guy.

It needn't start with 5.5 quarterback sacks and four tackles for a loss. It can begin with one or two key quarterback sacks that change the momentum of a game. and any game against the San Francisco 49ers is an ideal setting for him to step up and make an appearance.

I'm no sure if placing that burden on Verse in just his third NFL game is fair. But it must be expected. After all, he is the first Round 1 rookie added to this roster since QB Jared Verse was selected first overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. So the pattern of first-round rookies excelling at their craft is not foreign to the Rams history.

This defense is loaded with talent. But everyone is waiting for someone to step up. Jared Verse needs to be that catalyst. Not only is he already oh-so-close to having a breakout game, but as soon as he makes a momentum-changing play, the rest of the defense will take on an entirely new look.

I believe that Verse can put up 1.5+ quarterback sacks and 6.0+ quarterback pressures in Week 3.

(5) - RB Blake Corum

Despite all of the off-season euphoria over adding Michigan running back Blake Corum to the Rams roster, the results have yet to show up. Not only is the running game not getting much production out of the rookie, but the Rams rushing offense is horrible. So far, the offense has rushed for 136 yards in the first two games of the season. That is good enough for 31st best ground attack out of 32 teams in the NFL. And that is after investing in offensive linemen, tight ends, and running backs.

Blake Corum has rushed eight times for 28 yards in a mop up period of Week 2, long after the game was already decided.

Two games. 28 yards. That has to be a mistake, right?

Nope. It's a familiar story of the Rams shopping for offensive weapons in the offseason, but failing to use those new players until the veterans are burned through and the team has no alternative. Well, with the offense no long boasting TE Tyler Higbee, WR Cooper Kupp, or WR Puka Nacua, someone has to step up. Blake Corum was the Wolverines' workhorse. Let's load him up for Week 3 and see how he does. It's not like the team has many better options.

I believe that Corum can rush for 80+ yards and a touchdown in Week 3. Feed Corum the ball, and see what happens.

(4) - DT Braden Fiske

When the LA Rams traded up for Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske, the team declared Fiske to be the equivalent of a Round 1 talent. So far, the team is getting Day 2 production out of him. In 99 defensive snaps, Fiske has recorded eight tackles, no quarterback sacks, no tackles for a loss, and two quarterback pressures. That's simply not good enough.

No, I'm not saying that he is a 'bust' whatsoever. But the Rams defense clearly needs help, someone to step up, and the team did invest significant value into Fiske to ensure that both he and his Seminoles' sack partner Jared Verse would compete in the NFL together for their first four NFL seasons.

Like Verse, Fiske is good. But this defense needs great, and he is just not there yet. He was held out of preseason games and joint practices for various reasons. But now, Week 3 is a perfect opportunity to seize the stage and make momentum-changing stops. Fiske needs to do more than show up. He needs to assert himself as a sure-handed tackler. The defense needs to get better in almost every way. Fiske could do the team a great service by leading his teammates in that direction.

Fiske can put up 1.0+ quarterback sacks and six tackles in Week 3.

(3) - WR Jordan Whittington

You hate to see opportunities for rookies created in this offense due to veterans getting injured. But when it comes to the Rams offense, that's the pattern. Sadly, the injuries to starting wide receivers like Cooper Kupp is the all-too-familiar pattern as well. So, the Rams must somehow turn the page once more, this time to see if the hype over Texas Longhorns rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington was on target, or simply offseason bluster to excite the fans.

Unlike many of the other rookies on this list, WR Jordan Whittington did get a rather extensive workout in two preseason games, and his 126 receiving yards and 63.0 receiving yards average per game were outstanding. But as we are learning, the NFL season brings a new set of challenges and raises the bar of competition that much higher.

Whittington has already caught both passes thrown his way for 22 yards. But he is about to get a whole lot busier in Week 3. While I'd prefer the team to ease Whittington into the Week 3 offense by leaning more heavily on 12 personnel plays, I won't hold my breath. But I can see Whittington putting up 60+ receiving yards in Week 3. He may even get his first NFL touchdown.

(2) - DB Kamren Kinchens

It's pretty clear that the LA Rams secondary is the latest group that is subject to the onslaught of injuries. Already hurting from injuries to DB Derion Kendrick and Darious Williams, the team has learned that one of their best secondary performers, John Johnson III, had to be assigned to IR now as well. And so, the era of the double Kam defense begins.

The Rams have been starting veteran safety Kamren Curl. Now, he will team up with Miami Hurricanes rookie safety Kamren Kinchens. While he has not shown much yet in 2024, now that he is getting a steady dose of defensive snaps, I look for that to change.

To be fair, 14 defensive snaps over two games is not a lot of work. And Kinchens entered a game facing a red hot Arizona Cardinals team that was already shredding the defense, both on the ground and in the air. So Kinchens allowing two completions on two targets is a bit skewed.

I like Kinchens upside in Week 3. He is a stealthy defensive back who knows how to pick off passes. I look for Kinchens to cook in Week 3, getting five tackles, allowing no better that 60 percent of passes targeting his receiver to find their mark, and I give him better than 50/50 odds of picking off his first NFL pass in Week 3.

(1) - Beaux Limmer

What's the meaning of putting rookie center Beaux Limmer atop this list of rookies whose Week 3 performance can flip the entire NFC Playoff race on its ear? Well, while we seldom acknowledge the importance of the offensive center, nobody has a more important job in Week 3 than former Arkansas Razorback center Beaux Limmer.

First of all, Limmer has the dubious honor of calling out protections. That is difficult enough with a group of offensive linemen who have trained and practiced together for weeks. But the Rams offensive line has been such a turnstyle that Limmer will enter Week 3 with an entirely new configuration. His left guard for Week 3 will most likely be IOL Logan Bruss, and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson is finally off his two game suspension.

And Limmer has to call the shots and ensure that everyone knows their assignment on every snap of the football.

The 49ers defensive front loves to test new offensive linemen. And so, you can expect a spectrum of stunts, blitzes, and other wrinkles aimed at confusing an offensive line unit that has had almost no time to work out the bugs. It will be up to Limmer to keep everyone on task.

So far, Limmer has taken 93 offensive snaps. That's huge for just two games. Better still, he has not drawn a penalty flag nor allowed a quarterback sack. With the primary objective of keeping Matthew Stafford healthy and upright, that is a huge plus.

Now comes the graduate work. Limmer has to lead the charge to freeing up the Rams running backs. The team has to get their rushing offense going, and that starts with a center who can open running lanes. The 49ers are going to stunt and blitz the Rams relentlessly. But, if the Rams can create a crease, the running backs have a shot of taking it to the house.

After two grueling games, I think Limmer is up to the challenge of Week 3. He is a powerful center, and I can see the Rams getting far more rushing yards in Week 3 than the team has averaged.

The Rams have so many rookies vying for playing time. I think they step up in a huge way in Week 3. After all, it's now or never.

If the Rams can pull off a major upset victory in Week 3, the NFC Playoff picture will be flipped on its ear. If the Rams lose, their 0-2 start to the NFC West Division is a pretty deep hole to climb out of if postseason is the goal. I like this team as a home dog. It's just the type of topsy-turvy narrative that the NFL needs to electrify this 2024 NFL season.

As always, thanks for reading.