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The Los Angeles Rams dropped their first preseason game in a 17-9 loss at the Denver Broncos on Saturday, August 27. Quarterback Case Keenum led the Rams by completing 8 of 12 passes for 77 yards. Here are five thoughts on the game:
Case Keenum is the clear starter
There are plenty of experts that believe Keenum is among the worst starters in the NFL, but I think he will surprise a few people this season. The Rams are a different team with him on the field – a more confidant one. Sometimes that’s all a unit needs to be successful.
Keenum brings a certain calmness to the offense that the other Rams’ quarterbacks don’t bring. He is also can make all the throws necessary for an NFL starter. That much was clear in his limited time against one of the best defenses in the league. Of course, it also helps that he is more mobile and able to create plays than what the team has had in recent years.
The defense will be fine against running teams
The Rams defense struggled in its first two games of the preseason, but the unit finally put it together against the Broncos. The starters looked dominant against the strong Broncos running game, and it looks like the Rams’ will be fine against run-oriented teams this season. The problem is that the questions surrounding the secondary are still there. Denver didn’t test the Rams secondary much at all until late in the first half, and let’s just say they didn’t measure up well.
Lance Kendricks is primed for a career year
Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras is doing a solid job using his tight ends in the offense. Lance Kendricks, in particular, made a couple outstanding plays in the first half that served as lifelines for the offense. Keenum and Kendricks are forming solid chemistry, and that should lead to a surprise season from the Rams’ longtime tight end.
Offensive line questions abound
The Rams’ starters played well against Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos’ starters, but the backups on the offensive line looked horrible in the second half. The unit gave up four sacks, including two especially horrible ones early in the fourth quarter. Second year offensive lineman Andrew Donnal was beaten badly on one of the sacks. He was slow off the snap and failed to get his hands up in time to catch his opponent moving past him to the left.
The Rams need Donnal and the rest of the young offensive line to do better. This was a unit that was battered by injuries last year, and tackle Rob Havenstein has already struggled with injury.
Receivers remain a problem
Jared Goff didn’t look great against the Broncos, but he could have used more help from his receivers. I’m not going to pull any punches here. The Rams have done a horrible job developing their receiving corps over the last five years under Fisher, and I have little faith that it’s going to change this season. Unfortunately, this is a passing league, and Fisherball simply isn’t working. The Rams need to makes some moves at the receiver position. The lack of a No. 1 receiver has continually hurt this offense over the years, and it’s getting tiresome to watch.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, Sports Out West and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
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The Los Angeles Rams dropped their first preseason game in a 17-9 loss at the Denver Broncos on Saturday, August 27. Quarterback Case Keenum led the Rams by completing 8 of 12 passes for 77 yards. Here are five thoughts on the game:
Case Keenum is the clear starter
There are plenty of experts that believe Keenum is among the worst starters in the NFL, but I think he will surprise a few people this season. The Rams are a different team with him on the field – a more confidant one. Sometimes that’s all a unit needs to be successful.
Keenum brings a certain calmness to the offense that the other Rams’ quarterbacks don’t bring. He is also can make all the throws necessary for an NFL starter. That much was clear in his limited time against one of the best defenses in the league. Of course, it also helps that he is more mobile and able to create plays than what the team has had in recent years.
The defense will be fine against running teams
The Rams defense struggled in its first two games of the preseason, but the unit finally put it together against the Broncos. The starters looked dominant against the strong Broncos running game, and it looks like the Rams’ will be fine against run-oriented teams this season. The problem is that the questions surrounding the secondary are still there. Denver didn’t test the Rams secondary much at all until late in the first half, and let’s just say they didn’t measure up well.
Lance Kendricks is primed for a career year
Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras is doing a solid job using his tight ends in the offense. Lance Kendricks, in particular, made a couple outstanding plays in the first half that served as lifelines for the offense. Keenum and Kendricks are forming solid chemistry, and that should lead to a surprise season from the Rams’ longtime tight end.
Offensive line questions abound
The Rams’ starters played well against Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos’ starters, but the backups on the offensive line looked horrible in the second half. The unit gave up four sacks, including two especially horrible ones early in the fourth quarter. Second year offensive lineman Andrew Donnal was beaten badly on one of the sacks. He was slow off the snap and failed to get his hands up in time to catch his opponent moving past him to the left.
The Rams need Donnal and the rest of the young offensive line to do better. This was a unit that was battered by injuries last year, and tackle Rob Havenstein has already struggled with injury.
Receivers remain a problem
Jared Goff didn’t look great against the Broncos, but he could have used more help from his receivers. I’m not going to pull any punches here. The Rams have done a horrible job developing their receiving corps over the last five years under Fisher, and I have little faith that it’s going to change this season. Unfortunately, this is a passing league, and Fisherball simply isn’t working. The Rams need to makes some moves at the receiver position. The lack of a No. 1 receiver has continually hurt this offense over the years, and it’s getting tiresome to watch.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, Sports Out West and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
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