Rams offensive failure

[OmerV]

They didn’t establish the run, and really didn’t make more than a token attempt to do so. This allowed the Pats to just keep coming after Goff. Interestingly enough, as stale and predictable as the Cowboys offense was, their standard game plan would have worked better than what the Rams offense did in this game. Pounding the rock with the great RB would have likely yielded results over the course of the game, and would have taken pressure off the young QB to perform in the face of a relentless pass rush. Instead they put it all on Goff to deal with instead of sharing the burden with what had been an elite running game over the season.

 

[EST_1986]

Goff and McVay choked

 

[Sydla]

McVay came out and admitted he got schooled by Belichick.

 

[Doomsday101]

They didn’t establish the run, and really didn’t make more than a token attempt to do so. This allowed the Pats to just keep coming after Goff. Interestingly enough, as stale and predictable as the Cowboys offense was, their standard game plan would have worked better than what the Rams offense did in this game. Pounding the rock with the great RB would have likely yielded results over the course of the game, and would have taken pressure off the young QB to perform in the face of a relentless pass rush. Instead they put it all on Goff to deal with instead of sharing the burden with what had been an elite running game over the season.

What I saw in the game is Pats dominated the line of scrimmage. They were able to stop the run and got a lot of pressure on Goff and had 4 sacks on the night. I think both defenses played great ball through out the night in the end the ball by Brady to Gronk was the difference maker.

 

[Doomsay]

insanely stupid offensive game plan - NE isn't remotely that good on defense. NO would have been a better match-up, thanks refs.

 

[John813]

"They played six on the line all day, which kind of limited the space to get the runs in there," Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "They played an open-field 6-2 almost, but with one guy in the middle -- almost a little bit of goal line. And they played a lot more zone than they played all season, so that kind of shook it up a little bit."
That was the key difference. The Patriots' defense played more man coverage during the season than any team in the league. But Sunday night, New England was in zone on about 40 percent of its defensive plays. That might not sound like a lot, but it's a lot more than the Patriots showed in any game film the Rams were able to watch the past two weeks, and it worked.

"When they start running zone, you've got to hold it a little bit," Whitworth said. "And then they end up rushing six guys -- all NFL rushers, all guys who can rush in the NFL -- somebody's going to have a mismatch somewhere."

The results were a bit similar to what happened to Goff and the Rams in their Week 14 loss in Chicago. That night, the Chicago Bears played a bunch of zone concepts and intercepted Goff four times in a 15-6 victory. Until Sunday night, that point total was the Rams' lowest of the season -- by 17.

"They mixed it up," McVay said of the Patriots' Super Bowl game plan. "In the early downs, all they ended up playing was some single-high buzz structures and some quarters principles. Then on third down, they had their designers and things like that. It was a great game plan."

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25920798/how-patriots-defense-stymied-sean-mcvay-super-bowl-liii

You give Bill B 2 weeks to prepare and he'll take away your #1 threat. The Rams couldn't adjust.
Once the ground game was neutered, the Rams lose that ability to try to trick you with misdirections and presnap motions.

 

[CATCH17]

Shut down the run and make Goff beat you.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

Well sure, if Belichick would have studied the Rams for two weeks before playing a Super Bowl against the Cowboys then I imagine Garrett’s game plan would have befuddled even the great one.

 

[ClappingCarrot]

Shut down the run and make Goff beat you.

Then they took play action away with pressure coming from everywhere.

The bitter old dudes (Belichick and Wade) totally punked those young offensive 'geniuses.'

 

[OmerV]

What I saw in the game is Pats dominated the line of scrimmage. They were able to stop the run and got a lot of pressure on Goff and had 4 sacks on the night. I think both defenses played great ball through out the night in the end the ball by Brady to Gronk was the difference maker.

I agree the Pats controlled the line of scrimmage, but to have a good running game a team can’t just bail on it when the early going is tough. It doesn’t always catch hold immediately, but a strong running team will see results over the course of the game if they give it a chance. Essentially the Rams took that chance away and left Goff without a key element of the offense he had relied on all year.

 

[glimmerman]

There line didn’t hold up last night. When you pressure goff he screws up. That’s why with our Defense I expected us to play better. I watched goff last night take a few sacks and hits he didn’t need to. Looked like he pulled some Dak moves.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree the Pats controlled the line of scrimmage, but to have a good running game a team can’t just bail on it when the early going is tough. It doesn’t always catch hold immediately, but a strong running team will see results over the course of the game if they give it a chance. Essentially the Rams took that chance away and left Goff without a key element of the offense he had relied on all year.

Even Romo said the Rams needed to change up to throw more on 1st down and use play action but in the end the Pats were able to control the line and when the Rams passed they got pressure on Goff. Not that complicated, teams winning the line of scrimmage will normally win the game. Meantime Pats did the same stuff over and over on offense, dink and dunk, dink and dunk. I find it funny Dak gets ripped for it yet Brady has made a living off the dink and dunk.

 

[OmerV]

Shut down the run and make Goff beat you.

The Rams essentially shut down their own running game by bailing on it when they found establishing it was going to be difficult.

 

[Rayman70]

Gurley wasn't right and the HC knew that. I will always believe that.Otherwise, McVay is a HUGE moron.

 

[Rayman70]

They didn’t establish the run, and really didn’t make more than a token attempt to do so. This allowed the Pats to just keep coming after Goff. Interestingly enough, as stale and predictable as the Cowboys offense was, their standard game plan would have worked better than what the Rams offense did in this game. Pounding the rock with the great RB would have likely yielded results over the course of the game, and would have taken pressure off the young QB to perform in the face of a relentless pass rush. Instead they put it all on Goff to deal with instead of sharing the burden with what had been an elite running game over the season.

they couldn't.Gurley spent more time on the exercise bike than on the field. That SHOULD tell us what was happening. The kid was hurt and was mostly a decoy.

 

[OmerV]

Even Romo said the Rams needed to change up to throw more on 1st down and use play action but in the end the Pats were able to control the line and when the Rams passed they got pressure on Goff. Not that complicated, teams winning the line of scrimmage will normally win the game. Meantime Pats did the same stuff over and over on offense, dink and dunk, dink and dunk. I find it funny Dak gets ripped for it yet Brady has made a living off the dink and dunk.

Sure, change up when you run, but he didn’t say quit trying to run, plus when Romo was saying that was later in the game when the Rams were trying to come back from a deficit. The Rams had the 3rd best running game in the NFL over the season, yet Goff dropped back to pass on 70% of the plays in this game.

 

[OmerV]

they couldn't.Gurley spent more time on the exercise bike than on the field. That SHOULD tell us what was happening. The kid was hurt and was mostly a decoy.

Gurley said afterward he was fine, McVay said afterward he did a poor job of getting Gurley involved, and Goff said afterward he would love to have got Gurley more involved, but that wasn’t his decision. Plus, did you happen to watch CJ Anderson against the Cowboys? And against other teams? He’s had a number of huge games on the ground since joining the Rams. The exercise bike was probably just trying to keep the legs loose while standing on the sidelines so much.

 

[Aven8]

And having said all that they still had a chance similar to us against them. Cooks should have caught that ball to tie the game.

And let’s not forget how outstanding of a game Wade called as well. NE couldn’t do anything. They had one good drive.

 

[Doomsday101]

Sure, change up when you run, but he didn’t say quit trying to run, plus when Romo was saying that was later in the game when the Rams were trying to come back from a deficit. The Rams had the 3rd best running game in the NFL over the season, yet Goff dropped back to pass on 70% of the plays in this game.

rams could have ran all night and it was not going to change, they were getting nothing off the run, they were behind the chains most of the night and forced to punt. Goff had a couple of chances and blew it. Pats blew a coverage leaving wood wide open in the endzone, Goff sees him late and what should have been an easy TD ends up getting knocked away.

 

[Rayman70]

Gurley said afterward he was fine, McVay said afterward he did a poor job of getting Gurley involved, and Goff said afterward he would love to have got Gurley more involved, but that wasn’t his decision. Plus, did you happen to watch CJ Anderson against the Cowboys? And against other teams? He’s had a number of huge games on the ground since joining the Rams. The exercise bike was probably just trying to keep the legs loose while standing on the sidelines so much.

I don't buy it. Gurley could not have been right. Why would your HC,unless he is a complete moron, basically bench his bell cow stud rb...whom you've built the team around,and play the 2nd stringer? COME NOW...I think we are all smarter than that. YES...maybe Gurley should have played more..but it had to have been because of injury concerns.