Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles Notebook: Second Half Struggles Doom L.A.
The Los Angeles Rams fell to the Indianapolis Colts 23-14 on Sunday.
The game was truly a tale of two halves, as the Rams shined in the first 30 minutes, but were shutout in the second.
So, following the Rams' fifth game of this season, here's what we learned:
1. Star Offensive Players From Both Teams Shine in First Half
Going into Week 5, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had 13 receptions for 88 yards. On his first drive against the Rams on Sunday, he hauled in four catches for 45 yards and the opening touchdown from six yards out.
Rams All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp had missed all four games before Sunday after a lingering hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the preseason. Similar to Goedert, Kupp made up for lost time/lack of production on the first drive, as he logged five receptions for 56 yards and set up a three-yard touchdown reception by fellow receiver Tutu Atwell.
Both teams punted on each of their next respective drives but Hurts kicked off his trend of rushing the ball and also connecting with premier receiver A.J. Brown. These plays kept Los Angeles off the field, as Philadelphia finished the half with seven more first downs and minutes of possession time.
Nevertheless, the Rams had answers of their own, as Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Kupp connected for a 39-yard gain, which created a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie phenom Puka Nacua shortly after with 38 seconds remaining in the half.
Hurts ran around and found Brown a couple more times, which eventually led to a pass interference in the endzone with a couple of seconds remaining. The Eagles have become notorious for their goal-line "Tush Push" play and the Rams couldn't stop it, as Hurts scored at the buzzer to make it 17-14. They had also done the same process on the possession before, which led to a field goal.
Stafford finished the first half completing 14-of-21 pass attempts for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Kupp and Nacua combined for 15 of those targets and caught 10 of them for 146 yards.
Hurts completed 16-of-23 attempts for 152 yards and a touchdown. He also ran eight times for 50 more yards to add to his total. Brown and Goedert combined for nine receptions for 119 yards.
Matthew Stafford looks for an open receiver
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
2. Stars Held in Third Quarter
The Rams couldn't get anything going on offense in the third quarter, as a 15-yard reception by Nacua (plus a horse collar) was their longest gain of the period. However, they'd punt it shortly after.
Goedert had another huge catch, this time for 49 yards, but cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon logged an acrobatic toe-tapping interception (while guarding Brown) in the endzone a couple of plays later. Running back D'Andre Swift also got involved in the air and ground game during the drive, but it would be all for none.
The Eagles' most productive drive of the quarter came in the final one, as Hurts scrambled and utilized Brown and Swift all the way down to the Rams eight-yard line. Nevertheless, the Rams' defense held up, and Eagles kicker Jake Elliott converted a 26-yard chip shot field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 20-14.
3. Rams Defense Couldn't Get Off of the Field
The Rams defense simply couldn't get off of the field in the second half, but especially the fourth quarter. As previously stated, they struggled in the time of possession category in the first half, but the offense made up for the lost time by putting points on the board.
Nevertheless, Philadelphia finished the game logging 78 plays compared to the Rams' 55. The Eagles also converted on 13-of-18 third-down attempts and had over 15 more minutes possessing the ball.
A 36-yard catch by Brown followed by several long runs by Swift took a lot of time off the clock, and eventually led to a field goal to make the score 23-14. The run game was the Rams defensive kryptonite, as the Eagles ran for 159 yards and the offensive line allowed just one sack.
It's worth mentioning that Rams season-leading tackler Ernest Jones lived up to his status, as he logged a team-high 15 tackles, including three for loss. Safety Jordan Fuller had the second-most with 12.
The Rams offense never got going in the second half, as they didn't score one point. They had a couple of long gains, but Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick's third and fourth-down sacks towards the end of the game told the story.
