Rams vs. Raiders Preseason Preview: 3 Storylines to Follow

Throughout the duration of the Rams and Raiders two-day joint practice, things got heated and ultimately were brought to a rapid halt.

Practice was cut short Thursday following numerous skirmishes that broke out on practice fields between the two teams. However, the Rams and Raiders will meet once again — this time in part of their Week 2 preseason schedule.

Here are three storylines to watch as the team's prepare for Saturday's contest:

1. How Will The Reserves of The Interior Offensive Line Fare?

In the preseason opener against the Chargers, the Rams' interior offensive lineman got pushed around, resulting in immense pressure up the middle for running backs and passers to deal with.

Despite it not being the starting unit, it's still worrisome. What it shows is the limited depth the Rams have at their disposal. If a starting guard or center goes down, these are the guys who are called aboard to join the starting five.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he would rely on the joint practices for his starters and the reserves will get most of the work in the preseason matchup, so it's likely the Rams group of backup offensive lineman will also see Las Vegas' second-team defensive rushers. While they don't have to be perfect, an improvement from last week is something to monitor.

2. Will Bryce Perkins Continue to Flash?

Perkins shared snaps with Devlin 'Duck' Hudges at nearly a 50/50 clip last Saturday. In doing so, Perkins showed his dual-threat capability, getting outside the pocket and buying time with his legs. In fact, Perkins even stiff-armed a defender and hurdled the next tackler on his way to a first down.

He totaled 23 rushing yards on four attempts. As a passer, Perkins went 7-for-10 with 42 yards and one touchdown. Pretty decent outing for Perkins given it was his first game in which he took NFL snaps.

But can he add another solid preseason performance to his resume? That will add to the test. Perkins will attempt to edge out Hodges for presumably the final quarterback spot on the depth chart, and each preseason matchup will dictate who’s stock rises, and who’s doesn’t.

3. Do Any Running Backs Break Away From The Rest?

The Rams' group of rushers behind Darrell Henderson remain in a heated battle in order to determine which player secures the No.2 and No. 3 running back spot on the depth chart.

In the first preseason contest, the running backs averaged just under 2.5 yards per carry — an underwhelming day for the team's group of rushers. Perkins, who remains in the mix for one of the backup quarterback spots, outrushed the running backs last Saturday.

Through three joint practices and one preseason game, neither of the backup running backs have separated themselves to secure a specific role. This will be a major storyline to follow as Xavier Jones, Jake Funk and Raymond Calais all receive opportunities against the Raiders to show their worth.

Preseason Records: Raiders (1-0) vs. Rams (0-1)

Odds: Raiders -6.5 (-110)

Stat: The Rams sat 38 players in the preseason opener.

Fun Fact: The Rams and Raiders faced off on Monday Night Football Week 1 of the 2018 regular season, where Los Angeles won by the score of 33-13.

Keep An Eye On: The Rams' 2021 draft class. Specifically, wide receiver Tutu Atwell, linebacker Ernest Jones and tight end Jacob Harris. These three saw significant snaps last week and held their own.

Rams' Key To Victory: Preseason matchups aren’t about winning and losing but rather more about the evaluation process. Meanwhile, the key to a Rams' victory will include stacking offensive drives with Perkins and Hodges orchestrating the offense accordingly.

Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 at 7:00 PM (PT)

Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)

TV: KCBS-TV: (Los Angeles and Orange County), NFL Network (National)

Streaming: FuboTV

Radio: 93.1 JACK FM

The Final Word: “It’s football, man,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said Thursday, despite having a veteran's day off. “Honestly, every joint practice I’ve ever been a part of, there’s always a fight. How it was yesterday, as physical as it was, I figured we would come back and there’d be a lot of BS.”

Continue Reading: Rams-Raiders Brawl Ends Joint Practice: Top Takeaways

Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.