Rams offensive meltdown starts with Matthew Staford but goes much deeper than that
The Rams traveled 8,000 miles with Super Bowl ambitions and came home with something considerably less glamorous.A reality check.The 49ers delivered it Thursday in Melbourne, Australia, dismantling Sean McVay’s team, 27-7, in a season opener that exposed the distance between the Rams’ hopes and dreams and their present reality.“They outplayed us in every facet,” McVay said.“I didn’t do nearly a good enough job.
This is a humbling day for us.”Here are three takeaways from a loss that gave the Rams plenty to ponder on the flight home.Matthew Stafford arrived in Australia as the league’s reigning MVP.Raheem Morris and the 49ers made him look decidedly ordinary.
Stafford completed just 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards and an interception.That should sting the Rams well beyond the flight home.An offense with Stafford at the controls and McVay calling the plays is supposed to put defenses in uncomfortable positions.Instead, the discomfort belonged to the quarterback, who too often held the ball searching for answers or forced throws that only deepened the Rams’ problems.“Disappointed in the way it worked out for us,” said Stafford.
“Obviously didn’t move the ball consistently enough, didn’t put enough points up on the board to give ourselves a chance to be in the game.”Give Morris credit.His defense made one of the NFL’s most accomplished quarterbacks look unsure of what he was seeing and where he should go with the football.But the responsibility extends beyond Stafford.
McVay has to give him better answers when the initial plan stalls, whether that means quicker throws, moving the pocket, or leaning on the running game to restore some rhythm.The Rams cannot afford an offense that needs Stafford to solve every problem himself.Especially on nights when he becomes part of the problem.Ten Rams caught passes from Stafford.
Only Puka Nacua consistently gave the 49ers something to worry about.On paper, involving that many receivers suggests an...