A look at what was learned following the Los Angeles Rams' loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Los Angeles Rams dropped a big game, as the defense surrendered 16 unanswered points in the third quarter, which led to a snowball effort by the Denver Broncos to secure the victory.
While the Rams mostly looked good, there were some plays that quarterback Matthew Stafford and the team want back.
That said, here is what we learned from the Week 3 loss.
Split Carry Run Game Disappears
The Rams have one of the strongest running back duos in the entire league, as both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum complement one another in a significant way. The odd thing is that head coach Sean McVay seemingly decided to abandon that completely.
Williams was doing a solid job and carried the ball 16 times. Corum, on the other hand, only had six carries.
This pales in comparison to Week 2, as both backs carried the ball 12 times each.
While Williams is the dependable option, Corum has the ability to burst through the gap and pick up chunk yardage. However, he was never given that chance, which could have been why the Broncos' defense was able to silence the run game a bit.
Matthew Stafford Leads the League in Pick-Sixes
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford continues to lead the NFL with the most pick-sixes, which is not a list that he should be on.
After the Rams secured a field goal to take the lead, they continued to try to move the ball. Stafford threw an errant pass that Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga stepped in front of and ran in for the score.
While Hufanga made a great play, the fact is that Stafford needs to protect the ball. Throwing interceptions in this manner cannot simply be swept under the rug.
Injuries Lead to Offensive Imbalance
Los Angeles ran into some big issues offensively when tight ends Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson were both injured early on. Ferguson had come back in the game but exited again after aggravating his ankle.
Parkinson had also come back into the game, but was also compromised due to his own ailment.
With both tight ends suffering injuries, the Rams were not able to run their 13-personnel in the same manner they were used to. That clearly caused some imbalance issues.
Penalties Are Becoming Rampant
Football is a game of inches, as the saying goes, and those inches can be taken away by penalties. During the loss, the Rams committed 13 penalties, for a total of 91 penalty yards.
Head coach Sean McVay has to find a way to ensure that his team is playing disciplined ball, as more talented teams, such as the Broncos, can take full advantage of those given opportunities.
