The sting of that Los Angeles Rams overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills? Yeah, it’s still hanging around like a bad smell, and honestly, the PFF grades that just dropped for the game show exactly why LA is sitting at a rough 2-3, third in the NFC West and straight up outside the playoff picture. But dude, one guy absolutely popped off, and if you weren’t watching Puka Nacua against the Bills, you missed a historic performance.
Nacua’s Wild Ride and Corum’s Receiving Pop
Puka Nacua was targeted a mind-blowing 24 times. TWENTY-FOUR! He hauled in 17 of those for a massive 138 yards and punched in a touchdown. It was clear the Rams were trying to get him the ball all game, especially against Buffalo’s soft zones. He was killing it on screen plays, too. Nacua did most of his damage against Davison Igbinosun, catching six of eight targets for 52 yards and that score. The guy caught passes against seven different defenders. Get this: 24 targets is the SECOND-MOST in a single game in the 21st century. Only Brandon Marshall in 2009 had more with 28. That’s just bananas, man. It shows you who the Rams are leaning on big time.
Running back Blake Corum also showed out, especially as a receiver. He grabbed three of four targets for 53 yards, with an insane 49 of those coming after the catch. His rushing opportunities were limited, hitting five carries for 19 yards and one run over 10 yards, plus a touchdown. Kyren Williams got a touchdown too, but Corum was making plays with the ball in his hands.
O-Line Woes and Stafford’s Mixed Bag
Now, let’s talk about the trenches, because things got a little messy there. Left tackle Alaric Jackson actually had a good game with a 73.2 PFF grade, and his run blocking grade was a great 83.0. But the big news? Jackson is staring down a two-game suspension after a post-game altercation with EDGE defender Bradley Chubb. That’s a huge blow, especially when the Rams are already struggling to establish a run game, making this their third straight game with over 50 pass attempts. The rushing attack was less effective on Monday night, so losing Jackson for any time is a serious problem.
On the flip side, the interior of the offensive line had some bright spots. Left guard Steve Avila earned a 71.8 PFF grade, and he was right behind Coleman Shelton, who had LA’s top pass blocking grade at 87.1, with an 83.2 pass blocking grade. Neither of those guys allowed a single pressure in pass protection, which is solid, you gotta give them that.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford’s 69.0 PFF grade tells a different story than his box score. He completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns, which looks good on paper, 74.1%. But PFF hit him with only one big-time throw and one turnover-worthy play. He was getting rid of the ball super fast, averaging 2.55 seconds, which helped keep the pressure off, only 13 times pressured on 56 drop backs. But his average depth of target suffered, dropping to 6.9 yards. Overall, Stafford is sitting at 17th among QBs by passing grade, 67.4, for guys with a 50% drop back threshold, and he’s got more turnover-worthy plays, nine, than big-time throws, eight. That’s a trend that’s gotta change if LA wants to get back on track.
So, what’s next for the Rams? Their schedule is supposed to lighten up over the next two months, and they need to take full advantage if they want to claw their way back into the mix. With Nacua playing out of his mind, maybe that’s the spark they need to start building some momentum. We’ll see if they can turn this thing around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
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