The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Rams Week 5 matchup vs the Eagles

Play Calling

Here we go again talking about bad play calling. We have already discussed the lack of quarterback pressure and lack of QB contain ability so what else could there be to talk about right? Well, there was one play in particular on the defense that really had me confused. It was a play in which Rams OLB Michael Hoecht was lined up in man coverage against Eagles TE Dallas Goedert. Of course, the play resulted in a reception and huge gain by Goedert. But the true question is: Why did Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris put Hoecht in this position to begin with?

On the opposite side of the ball, we had more questions about the play-calling of LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay. I will say that he at least did a good job of attacking the Eagles' weakness through the air. But, he did the one thing he wasn't supposed to do...abandon the run. I won't go into the stats of this again, as it was mentioned earlier but that was an awful decision.

Additionally, McVay's predictable pattern of exclusively calling pass plays holds the Rams back from remaining competitive. For example, on the very first drive in the second half, the Rams committed a penalty on the very first play. They proceed to then allow a QB sack, followed by a pass play that almost resulted in a safety and finally a 3rd down run play that said "ok we give up on this drive". Luckily they were saved by a facemask penalty that extended the drive. Then there are the infamous third-down screens that he likes to call rather than trying to actually go for the first down.

Once again, the predictability of his third-down screen calls almost bit the Rams hard. Later on in the half, on third down and manageable yards to go, McVay called a screenplay that was nearly intercepted. Not only does McVay's conservativeness hurt the Rams, but oftentimes his predictability puts the Rams in danger too. That predictability comes at a cost, and McVay has now fallen to a record of 18-39 when tied or trailing at the half.