Summing up 5 instant reactions to Rams Saturday Night Football victory

(1) - The Rams offense is: WR Puka Nacua, RB Kyren Williams , all others

It seemed as though the Cardinals defense had decided that Rams running back Kyren Williams would not be the key to a Rams victory. In many ways, the Rams play-calling fed into that defensive game plan, as Williams carried the football just 13 times. He did manage to rush for 56 yards and a touchdown, so it was not a disappointing game for Williams. And he averaged 4.3 yards per carry, which is rather solid production. But the Rams were content to throw the football.

Unfortunately, Matthew Stafford's slump stood in the way. Stafford barely completed half of his passes, and when he did not complete a pass, he nearly threw interceptions. So no, it was not a good night for the team to go pass-heavy. But when has that ever stopped the Rams before?

Two solid performers in the Rams passing game were RB Kyren Williams and WR Puka Nacua. Williams caught all three passes thrown his was for 16 yards. Which not impactful in terms or receiving yards, Williams was a solid safety valve for Stafford on a night when he struggled to complete passes.

But the offensive star of this show was wide receiver Puka Nacua. Nacua hauled in 10 of 14 targets on the night for 129 yards. He was the top receiver in the game, and showed up when the Rams needed him most. On a third-down and 10 yards to go on the Cardinals 31-yard line, Stafford connected with Nacua for 15 yards to get the ball to the 15 yard line. After an impressive scramble by Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams only needed two carries to plunge into the end zone.

I'm not sure how to get other players active in the Rams offense. I'm not even clear if the Rams want to get them more involved. I do know that the Rams cannot depend on the defense to lead the team to victory in every game.

Can the Rams offense score 30 or more points again? I'd love to see it. And I suspect that the defense would love to see that happen too.

As always, thanks for reading.

More Rams News and Analysis