Los Angeles Rams Winners And Losers: Week 15

Stafford
GAME PHOTOS: Rams face Seattle Seahawks for Week 15 matchup at SoFi Stadium

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off what may be their most satisfying win of the season, defeating the Seattle Seahawks due to a convincing second-half performance. With the win, the Rams have officially given the Seahawks their first losing record of the Russell Wilson era. While Rams fans are savoring the moment and the Rams organization is patting themselves on the back, some players had better days than others. Here are the winner and losers of Week 15 for the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles Rams Winners And Losers: Week 15

Winners

Sony Michel

This was Michel’s breakout moment. All season long, he’s seen plenty of highs and lows as Darrell Henderson got the nod ahead of Michel. Some weeks, Michel was a complete afterthought. Other weeks, Michel was used as a last resort. This week, with Darrell Henderson in the lineup, Michel out-touched and out-played the de facto starter. Michel rushed 18 times for 92 yards and a 5.1 yards per carry average. It was arguably his best game of the season and it could not have come at a better time.

His coaches have seen him play at the same time as Henderson and outplay him. Meaning, there is now clear-cut evidence showing that Michel is an upgrade over Henderson. Until Cam Akers returns, it appears to be Michel’s role to lose. Once Akers returns, it will be another challenge for Michel, but at this moment, Michel is the starting running back for the Los Angeles Rams.

Special Teams

Special Teams has had some costly mistakes this season, but against the Seahawks, the special teams unit was essentially flawless. They deserve a gold star. Of course, this should be the norm, but considering their struggles seemingly all season long, the quality of play deserves recognition. They will need to keep it up to avoid any flukey gaffs that lead to a critical Rams loss. With three games to play and sudden death afterward, the Rams need to win out for the rest of the season. If they can do this, they can win the division and set up a more manageable run to the Super Bowl. They won’t be able to do that if the Rams struggle in any aspect of the game, including special teams.

Matthew Stafford

Stafford has been great for most of the season. At one point, it seemed like he and the Rams had hit a wall and the slide was imminent. However, looking back, he only had two bad games in November. Aside from that, Stafford has been an asset to the team and has been consistently good or great. Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks wasn’t his best game of the year, but it was quite encouraging.

In the first game against Seattle, Stafford threw one touchdown and one interception. In Week 15’s game, Stafford threw for two touchdowns and an interception. This shows that he can learn and adapt his play to attack Seattle’s weaknesses better. Meaning, he can get better against any team that he plays, giving the Los Angeles Rams hope even if they’ve lost in the past. Over the long haul, this growth could pay dividends.

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Losers

Darrell Henderson

Henderson had his worst night of 2021. He was out-touched and outplayed by his backup. While Michel rushed the ball 18 times, Henderson rushed the ball six times for 23 yards. Basically, it was as if he and Michel switched places. Michel spent most of the season facing single-digit carries, but now it is up to Henderson to play his way back up the lineup. With Akers’ return potentially on the horizon, Henderson could be the odd man out.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham Jr. has had his moment in the limelight with the Rams this season, but he was an extra in Tuesday’s performance. He caught one pass for seven yards. It was a tight divisional matchup, so he gets a half-pass. However, it will be extremely important for him to bounce back next week to avoid starting a new pattern. As it stands, he has 16 receptions for 211 yards and three touchdowns in his time with the Los Angeles Rams.

Van Jefferson

Jefferson is in the midst of the best season he’s had in his brief career in the NFL. That said, the wide receiver is coming off one of his least productive games of the season. In the contest, he had two targets and two receptions for 23 yards. Granted, he did get a touchdown on the ground, but Jefferson is a wide receiver first and wasn’t able to perform in those duties. If asked, he would likely prefer to earn a touchdown through the air instead of on the ground. Of course, he’d prefer much more than a touchdown. He’d like another 50-100 yards on top of it. On the spectrum of games he could have had, this one ranks lowly.

Stafford

GAME PHOTOS: Rams face Seattle Seahawks for Week 15 matchup at SoFi Stadium