The Los Angeles Rams were simply beat on Sunday by the Green Bay Packers. To win the Super Bowl, the Rams may need to get through this team. It is better to learn this now than in the playoffs, so Sean McVay can lean on this experience to figure out a game plan to beat Aaron Rodgers. With this revelation out of the way, it is time to look at the winners and losers of the Rams’ tilt against the Packers.
Los Angeles Rams Winners And Losers: Week 12
Winners
Van Jefferson
Of course, Jefferson had plenty of sore spots, but he still caught three passes for 93 yards. For Jefferson, Sunday’s game was the single-most yards earned in a game all season long. If he had caught more of his nine targets, Jefferson could have jumped off the charts. That said, he has some growing to do when it comes to drops, but to get drops, one has to get targets. Jefferson is on the right track. If he can catch the ball more reliably, he could prove why he was drafted in the second round.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham had his best game of the season against the Packers. In the game, he earned five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was his first touchdown all season long. At this point, Beckham is playing for a quality job in the NFL. If he plays well to close the season, he could potentially earn a big deal with the Rams. If not, his odds of finding a job in the offseason increase exponentially with each good game. Sunday was Beckham’s first. He needs to keep it going to erase what happened in Cleveland earlier this season, where he notoriously struggled to get passes thrown his way.
[pickup_prop id=”16220″]
Losers
Sean McVay
One of the core duties of the head coach is to motivate their players to play with a focused mindset to play as well as they can. This week, almost every position group didn’t play up to their potential in a potential playoff preview. Special teams had a great recovery on a muffed punt but also turned the ball over themselves. The offense put up points, but not enough to win. The defense played well in spots but needs to be a lot better to beat the Packers. Matthew Stafford played well for much of the game but ultimately didn’t do enough to get in front.
Cooper Kupp, who has been basically perfect all year, dropped a pass that was intercepted. As a whole, the team wasn’t as focused or sharp as it needed to be when facing one of the top teams in the NFC. When the playoffs roll around, assuming the Rams make the cut, they cannot all show up at 75 percent. They need to be all-in and play a perfect game to win the Super Bowl.
At this point, the Rams have lost the last three games and are very close to being in free fall. There was a controversial piece written by this writer during the offseason that essentially said that if the Rams didn’t live up to expectations, McVay would be the one left holding the bag after getting “his” quarterback. After dropping three straight games, this is coming to fruition as frustrated murmurs are beginning to be directed at McVay. It is too early to start talking about McVay’s future, but he needs to turn it around quickly before this skid gets out of hand.
Sony Michel
Michel only had three carries for 14 yards in the contest. In the season-long battle with Darrell Henderson with Cam Akers‘ return looming, Michel is running out of time. If he doesn’t put together an explosive run next game and continue to be explosive, Akers’ return could leave him in the dungeon of the depth chart and on a quick train to unemployment. Michel needs to have a sense of urgency heading into next week, as his chances are shrinking rapidly.
Tyler Higbee
Higbee was a complete non-factor in the passing game in Sunday’s game. Higbee only had one catch for three yards in sixty minutes of football. It was his worst game all season long and it makes one question his ceiling on the team. One can only hope this is an anomaly and not the emergence of a new pattern. If it is, Higbee could be in trouble. That said, Higbee has been good for about four or five catches per game in every other game except in the game against the Colts in which he also caught only one pass. In 2021, Higbee currently has 39 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns.
PHOTOS: Best of Rams vs. Packers Week 12 matchup at Lambeau Field – Brevin Townsell