Week 2 in Indianapolis against the Colts marked the first formidable road test the new Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford would face with his new squad. Going against a defense stout with talent by the likes of Darius Leonard and DeForest Buckner is no easy ask, especially in front of a raucous and loyal Indianapolis crowd. While on the defensive side, the Rams would be facing former 2nd overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, Carson Wentz. Wentz was taken just one spot after former Rams number one pick Jared Goff. Going into this matchup the, it's certain that the Rams and Head Coach Sean McVay acknowledged that the threat of the big play is always there with Wentz, even if he is battling any sort of injury.
Defense: C
I'll keep the focus on the defensive side of the ball for the Rams. The D put together 2 fantastic goal line stands to keep the Colts out of the end zone early in the game. One of those stands taking place on the LA 1 yard line that ended the Colts drive with a sack of Carson Wentz on 4th down by Leonard Floyd. The other Colts drive ended with a big time read of shovel pass by Troy Reeder that he intercepted on the Rams 3 yard line. Reeder was excellent during his time on the field and it was an astounding performance and execution of a bend, don't break defense, which through 2 weeks of the season seems to be this Rams defense's mantra. The secondary looked lost on most of the Colts passing plays as Wentz seemed to be able to find his targets with relative ease.
The Colts QB completed 20 of his 31 attempts for 247 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game with an ankle injury. The injury came when Wentz tried to evade forward in the pocket and run from Aaron Donald. The play ended in Donald wrapping his arms around Wentz' legs and rolling around his ankle. It didn't look good for Wentz or the Colts at all. That forced rookie quarterback Jacob Eason into the game in relief. Eason went in and broke the one rule that Wentz had abided by the entire game: Avoid Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey would intercept Eason's ugly first pass as a pro that would ultimately ice this game in favor of the Rams. Despite an outburst and subsequent ejection of linebacker Kenny Young after he hit an official during a temper tantrum, the D got it done when it needed it most and sticking together to make some big stops.
Offense: B
The offense led by Stafford looked promising yet again. Other than an atrocious throw into triple coverage that was intercepted by Colts defender Khari Willis, Stafford threw for 278 yards. He completed 19 passes on 30 attempts and threw two touchdowns to his definitive favorite wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The wide out was outstanding on Sunday and was by far the player of this game for LA. Coop caught 9 passes on 11 targets for 163 yards. He was the ultimate safety blanket and sure hands of this offense when they needed to rally back after being down by 4 points early in the 4th quarter. Robert Woods also contributed nicely with 5 receptions for 64 yards.
Like in week 1 against the Chicago Bears, the running game was efficient overall. Both running backs Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel found themselves with double digit carries on the day, 13 and 10, respectively. Henderson ran for 53 yards and a touchdown before he suffered a rib cartilage injury in the second half. It's questionable if Henderson will be ready to go against Tampa Bay in week 3. If it is a serious enough injury to keep Henderson out, Michel will be the guy from here on out. With that said, I have a good feeling about Michel in that spot, mainly due to the level the offensive line has been playing these last two weeks.
Special Teams: D-
The only thing keeping this grade from being an F is kicker Matt Gay had a perfect 2/2 day on field goals and made all 3 of his extra points. Punter Johnny Hekker was not bad by any means on Sunday, but the most disastrous play of the afternoon for the Rams came from a 4th down punt play from deep in their own endzone. Safety Nick Scott shifted into a different punt block protection spot behind the offensive line and got in front of the snap to block the ball's path to Hekker, causing a fumble. This would lead to a Colts recovery of the ball in the endzone for a touchdown. It was a confusingly frustrating gaffe that could've been the turning point if the Rams had lost this game. Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis better emphasize that play this week and realize that a bullet was surely dodged here and do everything possible to prevent a mistake like that again.
Overall Grade: C
Getting a win on the road is never easy. It's always a plus when teams make it even harder for themselves and still come out with the win. Now it's time for the Rams to prep for a huge NFC matchup in week 3. The Super Bowl LV MVP Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to SoFi Stadium on September 26. A definite playoff preview that could ultimately crown the top dog and 1 seed in the NFC.
Great article and synopsis of the game! There's a high five attempt in the video you linked at 0:26.
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