The Los Angeles Rams’ game plan changes every week, whether it’s the types of plays they run, the personnel groupings they deploy or the amount of snaps certain players get. From Week 1 to Week 2, there were a handful of noticeable changes on both sides of the ball, though the result was the same each time: a win.
Coming off the Rams’ 33-19 win over the Tennessee Titans, we’re looking at their snap counts, showing just how much each player was on the field Sunday. Terrance Ferguson made his debut on offense, Justin Dedich got the start in place of Steve Avila and Ahkello Witherspoon was limited to only a quarter of the game due to a broken clavicle suffered early on.
Here’s what we learned from the Rams’ snap counts in Week 2.
Offense
Defense
There appears to be a new WR3
Tutu Atwell got a $10 million fully guaranteed contract as a free agent this year but that did nothing to ensure he’d have a bigger role on offense, apparently. Jordan Whittington played five more snaps than Atwell in Week 1, which we believed to be because of Puka Nacua’s injury.
However, on Sunday against the Titans, the gap between Whittington and Atwell widened. Whittington played 39 snaps compared to Atwell’s 26, which suggests Whittington has overtaken Atwell as the No. 3 receiver. They’ll both continue to play meaningful snaps but Atwell’s stock is slipping after catching just one pass for 4 yards in the first two games combined.
Braden Fiske plays very few snaps
Fiske’s playing time changed dramatically in the first two weeks. Against the Texans, he played 62% of the snaps. But on Sunday, he played just 20% (13 snaps). He was barely on the field and it’s unclear why; Sean McVay didn’t mention an injury in his postgame press conference. His dad, Brian Fiske, did say on X that “he was injured.”
Fiske is a big part of the Rams’ impressive defense so his lack of involvement was puzzling. Tyler Davis saw a much bigger role as a result, playing 45% of the snaps. Ty Hamilton and Larrell Murchison each played 14 snaps, as well. Fiske played the sixth-most snaps among the Rams’ defensive linemen, which is baffling unless there was an injury.
RB split moves to 70-30
Kyren Williams played 82% of the snaps in Week 1 compared to only 17% for Blake Corum. McVay said last week that he wanted to get Corum more involved, and that he did. On Sunday, Williams played 70% and Corum played 30%, so the gap got closer.
This isn’t to say Williams is in danger of losing his job as the starter, but Corum was excellent in limited action and McVay took notice, saying he was “really impressed with Blake” and confirmed he’ll remain part of the game plan.
Terrance Ferguson quiet in debut on offense
With Colby Parkinson out, it was a chance for Ferguson to play some snaps on offense after being absent in Week 1. He didn’t get many opportunities, though, playing just four snaps in the win. He did make a great hustle play on special teams to chase down the Titans player after a blocked PAT and save two points, but his impact on offense wasn’t felt.
Darious Williams gets his first shot of the season
Ahkello Witherspoon only played 16 snaps before breaking his clavicle, which McVay called a “big loss” for the defense. With Witherspoon out, Cobie Durant and Darious Williams both got more opportunities; Durant played 62% of the snaps (40% in Week 1) and Williams played 39% after not playing a single snap in the opener.
It appears Durant and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. will be the primary starters, with Williams as the No. 3 cornerback now. That’s subject to change, of course, depending on the week and opponent.
Deeper rotation at OLB
Jared Verse was checked for a concussion during the game, so his snaps were more limited than usual; he played 65% of the defensive plays. That gave Josaiah Stewart a chance to contribute on defense, playing 25 snaps and making the most of them with his first career sack. Nick Hampton also played 15 snaps, getting an opportunity on defense against the Titans, too.
The Rams will want to keep everyone fresh, so it makes sense that they’d give Byron Young and Verse a breather throughout the game.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: What we learned from Rams’ Week 2 snap counts: New WR3, Fiske limited, rookies play more
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
