The Los Angeles Rams returned from their bye as heavy favorites over the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 and they took care of business at home on Sunday. It was smooth sailing en route to a 34-10 victory, earning their third straight win and improving to 6-2.
The Rams were dominant on offense and defense, outgaining the Saints 438-224 and picking up 30 first downs compared to just 10 for New Orleans. We graded every position group in the 24-point win and unsurprisingly, just about each unit received high marks.
Quarterback: A
It was another masterful performance from Matthew Stafford, who didn’t even need to be perfect in order to beat the Saints. He threw for 281 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions or turnover-worthy plays, playing a clean game from start to finish.
Running back: A-
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were a dynamic one-two punch against the Saints, rushing for a total of 172 yards and a touchdown. Williams had 114 of those yards but Corum provided a spark with some electric runs where he made multiple defenders miss. In total, they forced 15 missed tackles, though neither was involved as a receiver.
Wide receiver: A-
Neither Jordan Whittington nor Konata Mumpfield was targeted in this one, but Puka Nacua and Davante Adams more than made up for it with two great outings. Nacua caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in his return, while Adams hauled in another two touchdown catches. Xavier Smith also caught two passes for 12 yards.
Tight end: A-
The Rams got all four tight ends involved in this one. Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson all caught multiple passes and combined for 114 yards receiving in the win. Higbee also scored a touchdown on a perfectly designed play-action pass where he was wide open in the end zone.
Offensive line: A-
The Saints were no match for the Rams’ offensive line. Los Angeles allowed just five total pressures in the game, and three of those were given up by Steve Avila. Stafford wasn’t under much pressure at all and had plenty of time to find open receivers downfield.
Defensive line: B-
Braden Fiske got his first sack of the season, which was a positive for him, but the defensive line as a whole didn’t disrupt the Saints’ offense as much as it has other teams. There were just three pressures generated from the defensive line on 25 dropbacks. The group did perform well against the run, however.
Inside linebacker: B+
Nate Landman forced another fumble on a perfect punch-out against Alvin Kamara, also adding five total tackles – all assisted. Omar Speights had three tackles, as well.
Outside linebacker: C+
Jared Verse and Byron Young have been arguably the best pass-rushing tandem in the league but they had just three combined pressures in this one. Granted, there weren’t many opportunities with the Saints dropping back to throw only 25 times, but this unit has had better performances this season.
Cornerback: B+
Emmanuel Forbes Jr. played well against the Saints, breaking up three total passes, including his first interception as a member of the Rams. Cobie Durant allowed just one catch for 6 yards, also playing well on the outside opposite Forbes.
Safety: B-
A good portion of the Saints’ passing yards came against the Rams’ safeties, with Kamren Kinchens, Quentin Lake and Jaylen McCollough allowing 79 yards in coverage. Kinchens recovered the fumble that Landman forced and was tied with Kamren Curl for the second-most tackles on the team (four).
Special teams: F
Two more missed kicks by Joshua Karty were the lone concern coming out of this game, sending Sean McVay over the line when it comes to his frustration with the kicking unit.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams Week 9 report card: Grading every position in win vs. Saints
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
