By Zakary Haines
LOS ANGELES–The Rams are taking their show on the road this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams could not have had a better game to kick off the season. They accumulated 312 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, and the defense held the Chicago Bears to just 14 points. This team is firing on all cylinders in week one; however, the Colts did have some big moments against the Seattle Seahawks. It’ll be another week where the Rams can not underestimate their opponent if they want to stay undefeated.
Despite the loss, the Colts’ offense had signs of promise. Carson Wentz went off for 223 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and had 23 yards rushing. Against a tough Seattle defense, that’s pretty good. However, the Seahawks’ defense is not the Rams’ defense. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Kenndy Young will look to continue their dominant performance and shut down the passing game. Wentz will face a tough challenge ahead.
As for Matthew Stafford and company, week one was a breath of fresh air for the offense. The Rams had a total of 386 total offensive yards, putting them fifth in the league. The Colts’ defense allowed 254 passing yards, 140 rushing yards, and four passing touchdowns. The Rams need to stick to their game plan; let Stafford find the open target. With plenty of guys to choose from, expect another big week for Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Tyler Higbee, who all had tremendous performances against the Bears. The Colts’ defense will be without their starting cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, so making throws might be easier. Sean McVay has a lot of confidence in the passing game, but the run game needs some work.
This should be another good opportunity to give more reps to the running backs, especially for Jake Funk and Sony Michel. Darrell Henderson Jr had 70 rushing yards against the Bears’ defense, but he has not been the top guy the coaching staff expected him to be. This is part of the reason why they traded for Sony Michel in the preseason. With some more competition, it would not be surprising to see Funk or Michel get more reps against the Colts. Be ready for McVay to call more run plays if the offense and the right running back find some traction.
Overall, the Rams are in sync on all fronts: the offense, the defense, and special teams. There aren’t a lot of red flags for the Rams besides the run game. Most questions have been answered so far as to the legitimacy of this squad. So far, they look like a team that can contend, but the season is still young. If the offense can perform like they did last week, there’s no reason that they won’t come away with the win. The Rams are the favorites to win but with a -4 spread, smaller than last week’s spread. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EDT in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
The Sports Insanity Network 