Building Boost: LA Rams Seek to Get Back on Track, Prevent Two Game Skid
The Los Angeles Rams had arguably their worst performance of the season last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Veteran running back Saquon Barkley torched the Rams for 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns and finished the game averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. He added nearly another 50 yards receiving while catching all four of the passes that were thrown to him.
As the Rams prepare to face the New Orleans Saints, Rams head coach Sean McVay knows his team must do a better job against Saints running back Alvin Kamara than they did against Barkley last week.
“Those guys are dangerous,” McVay said. “They’re big plays waiting to happen. Some of the things that occurred the other day. You talk about the importance of being able to play team defense and not allowing a guy that’s as explosive as Saquon to be able to get to the second and third levels of the defense unabated where he can make you miss and then he’s got the ability to outrun those angles. Both of those guys are capable of that.
“Saquon [Barkley] is a really special player. The second one, we didn’t follow a puller back. We were in a really heavy run defense with not a lot of layers in terms of layers and levels of the defense so once he got through that second level, he was gone. Those are certainly things that they hurt, but it’s about being able to correct it and move forward. Like I said, I’ve seen that on display and you’d prefer us not to have to necessarily show that quite as consistently as we have. We’re still hunting up consistency, but I do appreciate the way these guys come to work. We’re going to give everything that we got and keep swinging. I love the resolve of this group.”
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula noted the fact that the Rams will face another one of the league’s most talented running backs for the second week in a row. Shula and the Rams defense is preparing to see Kamara in multiple facets of the Saints’ game plan.
This would have been the case for the Rams regardless. However, it will especially be the case after how poorly the Rams’ defense played against Barkley and the Eagles last week.
