The LA Rams were in a boxing match with one hand tied behind their back. You see, the Rams were on the road facing the Detroit Lions, and played the game without either starting offensive tackle. LT Alaric Jackson, fighting through an ankle injury, had been suspended for the first two games of the season. And , also fighting through an ankle injury, was unable to get well enough to suit up for the game.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg for the Rams roster.
But we we have more on injured players soon enough. For now, I think it’s justified to talk about the guys who stepped up in the heat of battle and filled in despite their presence as second or third stringers on the Rams roster.
You can tell a lot about a team, not by the way they fight when everything is going their way, but how they manage to compete when the flood gates open. In Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, adversity did not pull any punches. But even starting quarterback Matthew Stafford realized that he was getting the best efforts out of everyone around him.
And he made it a point to recognize that fact in his post-game presser:
How did the guys do during the game, then? The Rams secondary stopped quarterback Jared Goff to just 217 passing yards, demonstrating an excellent defensive performance. The squad also avenged a touchdown pass they had allowed by recording an interception.
At the end of regulation, the score was 20-20. The Rams, however, left points on the board. The Rams, who were 0-3 in the Red Zone in the NFL Playoffs versus the Lions, converted only two of their five Red Zone appearances in this game. On one occasion, Matthew Stafford threw an interception that would have won the game if the team had merely kicked a field goal.
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