​Jared Goff, the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, named Week 13 NFL Player of the Week for excellent performance against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Goff put on a show in the desert by throwing for over 300-yards in the first half. (Full Story Later)

Aaron Donald, the Los Angeles Rams reigning two-time NFL Defensive Player The Year, named the Week 11 NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Donald played his best game this season after recording four tackles (three solos), two tackles for loss, one pass deflection and four quarterback hits against the Chicago Bears this past Sunday night.

Donald has been fighting through double and triple-team blocks all season and seemed to found a recipe of success against the Bears. The Bears offensive line had their work cut out for them trying to account for both Donald and Dante Fowler, who did record any defensive stats against the Bears.

Donalds Player of the Week award is the first time all season that any Rams player has accomplished this season. Last season the team had eight different players to win a Player of the Week with Donald winning it twice along with a Player of the Month along with quarterback Jared Goff and kicker Greg Zeurline.  

Donald started the season off slow as he has done the last couple of seasons but seems to start to heat up. The Rams will have a tough match-up this coming Monday night against the league's highest-scoring offense of the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Rams will seek to try and shut down the Ravens run game, which will be a difficult task while they have the former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards. However, that will not account for another former Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Lamar Jackson who presents a threat with both his arm and legs.

The Rams for the first time all-season come in this week as a 3.5 point underdog at home against the Ravens as they look to keep their playoffs hope alive with a victory. We have to say we like the Rams in an upset this week over the Ravens as Donald may have a lot to do with a Ravens offensive line that features one seasoned veteran. Expect for Donald to move all around the defensive front to create mismatch problems for himself and other Rams rusher as Fowler in particular.

Brian Allen, the Los Angeles Rams starting center, placed on the I.R. after suffering an injury to his right knew. Allen tore his MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) Sunday after the Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-12. On the previous play, Allen would get up limping and after a timeout, the very next play he was bull rushed and stayed down after falling to the field.

Allen becomes the second starting offensive lineman to be lost for the season, as his fellow draft mate Joseph Noteboom lost after tearing his PCL (Posterior Crucial Ligament) and MCL tear. The Rams never faced adversity with the offensive line as they had the same starters for two consecutive seasons. 

Allen has struggled all season long by trying to adjust to the defenses that he faced. Allen's two costly penalties against the Seattle Seahawks on a final drive killed better scoring opportunities for the Rams as they lost the game.  According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Allen ranked the 27th overall center with a grade of 53.9 is part of the demise of the Rams offensive line along with injuries.

The Rams have moved their starting right guard Austin Blythe at the center position, and will now start newly allocated Austin Corbett at right guard. The Rams also will be out starting right tackle Rob Havenstein and will start rookie Bobby Evans Jr in Havenstein's spot. 

Allen will have surgery sometime next week, and the rehabilitation process will follow immediately afterward. He will need to come back stronger than before as his position more than likely will be up for grabs next training camp.

​The Los Angeles Rams resign their original seventh-round draft choice Dakota Allen to the team's practice squad. Allen, released by the Rams, during the final cuts of the 53-man final roster, surprised many of his release. Allen gave an immediate impression to everyone on the Rams coaching staff and became the fan-favorite. 

Allen fulfilled a childhood dream and a promise that he committed to after a brush with the law. During his sophomore year at Texas Tech, Allen got arrested for breaking into a home during the winter school break stealing a gun safe containing seven firearms, a 40-inch TV, and two digital cameras. Following his arrest, Allen was subsequently dismissed from the Texas Tech football program and school transferring to an East Mississippi Community College. 

Allen starred in the NETFLIX documentary on "Last Chance U" as he revived his career by winning a national junior college championship with East Mississippi Community College. Allen would contact Texas Tech shortly after graduating from EMCC and spoke to the coaching staff and administration and won them over for a second chance. It paid off as the Rams drafted Allen in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Allen cleared waivers, and the Rams added him as their first practice squad signee. However, he would not remain with the Rams long at all.
The NFL for suspended the Oakland Raiders starting linebacker Vontaze Burflict for an egregious hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle. They also would lose their other starting linebacker Marquel Lee to a season-endng ankle injury prompting them to add Allen.

Allen's tenure with the Raiders would come to an end last week as the Raiders added a couple of veterans Will Compton and Brandon Marshall to their rosters. Allen's third time signing with the Rams should be a charm as he will excel in the team field.

Revised 10/29/2019 11:00AM PST
The Los Angeles Rams have traded veteran cornerback Aqib Talib to the Miami Dolphins after trading for him a season ago. The Rams front office reported over the weekend that they were shopping Talib just days after trading their other starting corner Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens. They were able to move Talib just before the end of the trade deadline.

Talib was acquired via trade with the Broncos last season for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick that would reunite him with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. In his first season with the Rams, Talib would get injured in the third game of the season, spending eight weeks on the IR. Upon his return, he helped the Rams to get to Super Bowl LVIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Talib for the second straight season landed on the IR after injuring his ribs against the Seattle Seahawks. Talib was inactive against the San Francisco 49ers as the Rams lost their third consecutive game. The following Monday morning, the team placed Talib on the IR.

Reportedly Talib blocked two previous attempts by the Rams before agreeing with the trade to the Dolphins. Talib, a Dallas native, starred at Lloyd V. Berkner High School in Richardson, TX, a suburb outside the Dallas area.

The Rams are sending Talib and a fifth-round pick for a future late round draft pick to named later, to create cap space to potentially sign Ramsey to contract extension. Ideally Talib is not on the books for next season however, the Rams can move some of the signing bonus into this year salary.

Last week, the Los Angeles Rams front office executed roster moves that sent their all-pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens and acquiring linebacker Kenny Young in that trade. They would also acquire all-pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a massive deal and in addition acquired offensive lineman Austin Corbett from the Cleveland Browns. As the NFL trade deadline nearly approaches, the Rams perhaps can still become buyers before the Tuesday 4 pm deadline. 

The expectations from many are that the Rams are not finished shopping for players that can help assist their return back to the Super Bowl. At this point, if they can buy the farm, general manager Les Snead will discover a way to make it happen. Since the firing of Rams former head coach Jeff Fisher, Snead has been able to generate some magnificent trades and lure in high caliber free agent players.

Yesterday, the Rams defeated the winless Cincinnati Bengals 24-10 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Following their victory, head coach Sean McVay questioned about expectations of any further trades that the Rams may execute before the deadline. McVay would respond:

​The Redskins are currently looking for depth at the receiver position in which they have rookie Terry McLaurin, a third-round selection from Ohio State who currently leads the team in receptions, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns. Veteran Paul Richardson Jr is second but do not even half of McLaurin's yardage total.

What does Reynolds bring to the Redskins aside from his talent? He brings the team two and a half seasons of experience from a team that has a unique passing system. Along with his experience, Reynolds can start for nearly half of the teams in the NFL. 

Reynolds has a career 45 receptions for 613 receiving yards and seven touchdowns which is an upgrade for the Redskins. After receiver Cooper Kupp went down last season, Reynolds stepped right in replacing Kupp and caught 29 passes for 402 yards and five touchdowns. Let us not forget, this was in addition to Brandin Cooks and Roberts topping 1,000 yards for the season and Kupp's total. 

When Kupp returned this season, Reynolds play and stats plummeted, however yesterday against the Bengals, he gave an excellent audition for any team that is exploring receiver help. In the Rams very first series, Cooks took a helmet to helmet hit went down and then placed in the concussion protocol. Reynolds stepped right in and grabbed three receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. He was the shot in the arm for the Rams offense that needed to help Goff find another open target. 

Reynolds seems to have not played with that same tenacity as he did his first two seasons, as his production total has fallen off this season with catching only five receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. He can go to a team where he can become a starter and have a young quarterback in Dwayne Haskins that he can grow with and make better.

Trading Reynolds will not hurt the Rams as bad as tight end Gerald Everett is making plays in addition with Higbee. They still have Mike Thomas on the roster as well as rookie Nsimba Webster on the practice squad who McVay speaks high on. Reynolds is an absolute great value to go with a first-round pick for a Williams trade.

The Redskins announced just today that they are now open to dealing franchise left tackle. Williams their who have been holding out because he is frustrated with the teams medical staff and the front office which prompted his demand to be traded. This is another plus for the Rams as Williams have history with McVay and the Rams have one of the elite medical staff in the league that is led in part by Reggie Scott.

If a first round and Reynolds not enough, perhaps the Rams can add another later round pick with the trade or even another player. However, Rams need Williams and Williams need the Rams. The salary cap will become a issue, but the Rams seem to be shopping cornerback Aqib Talib for cap relief as one option or the Rams can rent Williams for the rest of the season. Besides those factors, lets see what Snead can pull of by tomorrows deadline.

​On another note, expect the Rams to make a move by tomorrow on some player to say the least.

Overview: Two touchdowns favor the Los Angeles Rams in this game, and they SHOULD win. The Cincinnati Bengals are winless, and will once again be missing their best player, wide receiver A.J. Green, arguably the only truly elite player on their roster (you could argue for running back Joe Mixon). They will also be missing cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and defensive lineman Car Lawson. The Rams also have some injuries--running back Malcolm Brown and linebacker Clay Matthews are out. Cornerback Troy Hill listed as questionable, but most reports seem to indicate he will play.


Overall the Bengals injury list maybe a little worse since Green is such a good player on a team that not loaded with talent.


However, there are still areas of concern, Bengals coach Zac Taylor spent two years on the Rams' coaching staff. That includes time last season as the Rams quarterback coach, so he probably has a pretty good idea of how to disrupt Rams quarterback Jared Goff. The Bengals have at times shown flashes of being a good team, including an opening-day one-point loss at Seattle in a game they probably should have lost. The Bengals may not be talented, but they are not the Miami Dolphins, and in the NFL, anybody (except maybe the Dolphins) can beat anybody on any given Sunday.


Finally, the Rams are pretty much in must-win mode at this point. If they lose this game, they would still have a mathematical chance at the playoffs, but not much more.


Bengals Offense vs. Rams Defense: The Bengals seem likely to be missing a pair of offensive linemen in this game, including left tackle Andre Smith as well as their right-guard. Tackle Cordy Glenn, penciled in as a starter when the season opened, is suspended and did not even make the trip to London. Too much talent is missing from a depleted O-line to start with, and that could propose a problem. With A.J. Green out, expect a heavy dose of ''ground and pound" from the Bengals offense. Then again, we also might not, considering the Bengals are ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing yards, averaging a paltry 53 yards per game. That is just awful, and a big reason why the Bengals come in at 0-7.


Experts ranked the Bengals O-line last in run blocking. So anything can happen, but we have to think the Bengals will try to score points through the air


Have to think Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is licking his chops thinking about this game, and there have been more than a few predictions that Donald may go off in this game. A.D. typically sees double and even triple teams, but the Rams do have enough talent along the defensive front to make the Bengals pay if they employ that strategy. Outside linebacker Dante Fowler had a big game last week against the Falcons, notching three sacks. He has five on the year and is starting to look like the first-round draft choice that the Jaguars made him a few years back. Fowler will likely face off against Cincy tackle Bobby Hart, who is not having a great year. The problem for the Bengals is that assuming they load up against Donald, they may not have much available help for Hart against Fowler, without being vulnerable to Ram's blitzes, something defensive coordinator Wade Phillips likes to dial-up (more on that in a moment).


On the other side, Clay Matthews remains out (he may be back after next week's bye) but Samson Ebukam, who could start for many NFL teams. Phillips is also not afraid to bring people like inside linebacker Cory Littleton and safety Taylor Rapp on the blitz, so it may be hard for Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to get too comfortable. He does have some decent targets, though, even with Green out. Wide receiver John Ross may be the fastest NFL player not named Tyreek Hill. He only has 328 yards receiving through 7 games, but you can never ignore that kind of speed. Tyler Boyd leads the team with 471 yards, although Boyd has been sort of quiet the last couple of games. He will likely see a lot of Rams corner Jalen Ramsey in this game. Given their injuries on the O-line, the Bengals might go to a short passing game, possibly featuring running back Joe Mixon. Mixon is not having a great year, is dangerous in the open field, and the Rams need to contain him.


Football games are won on the field and not on paper, but on paper, the Rams certainly have the edge here. The x-factor might be Taylor, who probably learned a few things from Rams Head Coach Sean McVay. Even so, we have to check this box for Los Angeles.
Edge: Rams


Rams Offense vs. Bengals Defense: The Bengals might not be very good, but they do have some talent on the defensive line, even though they have only notched nine sacks this season. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins is a monster, and he will try to take advantage of rookie guard David Edwards in only his second start. Edwards, who played tackle in college at Wisconsin, won raves from the Rams coaches and players last week for his play against Atlanta, but he faces a huge test this week. Ends Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard are decent players as well, and the Rams O-line has not been great this season. However, the loss of starting defensive end Carl Lawson is terrible news for Cincinnati.


IF the Bengals can win this battle, they can win this game. The Rams line was better last week against the Falcons, and they need to continue that trend.


The Rams will be without running back Malcolm Brown. Todd Gurley has not been himself so far this season, and at this point, it is an open question as to whether he will ever be the back we have seen the past few seasons. If he is going to return to form, this might be the week to do it. In fairness, his drop in production has not all been his fault. The Rams line has not done an outstanding job of opening holes, and even in last week's big win against the Falcons, they were not significant in that area.


We might look at rookie running back Darrell Henderson's season stats and not be overly impressed, but if we have seen the last few games, we know he has potential. Outside of a key muffed lateral in the 49er game, he is playing better than his numbers. He is a big-play threat waiting to break loose, both as a runner and receiver. Will this be the game?


The Rams have been a passing team all season, and tight end Gerald Everett has been emerging as a weapon the last few games, His battle against Bengals safety Jessie Bates should favor the Rams. The fact that the Bengals are missing cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and Marquez Dennard against the Rams outstanding receiving trio of Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods does not bode well for the Bengals.


As we mentioned earlier, Bengals coach Zac Taylor is very familiar with this offense, both in terms of personnel and scheme. The other place the Bengals may have a chance to make headway is in the trenches. If Cincinnati can make the most of those factors, an upset is possible. If they cannot..this could get ugly.


Edge: Rams


Special teams: Even though the Rams special teams have not been everything we might have hoped for so far, they were better last week against the Falcons. We saw Johnny Hekker complete a key pass on a fake punt, among other hopeful signs. The Bengals special teams are not bad, but we will still check this box for the Rams.
Edge: Rams


Prediction: As we said above, there are reasons for concern in this game. The familiarity of Bengals coach Zac Taylor, the matchup of rookie Rams guard David Edwards versus Bengals DT Geno Atkins, and the possibility of overlooking the winless Bengals going into a bye week are all concerns. However, as the debacle versus Tampa Bay a few weeks ago proved, we cannot take anybody lightly. There are also the inevitable distractions faced when playing a "home' game in London. Nevertheless, the Rams are a better team in "must-win" mode.


Rams 35 Bengals 23



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​The Los Angeles Rams promote rookie undrafted free-agent safety Jake Gervase their 53-man active roster. The former University of Iowa Hawkeye will make his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

The Rams placed starting safety Johnson Johnson III on the IR on Wednesday, the defense and special teams needed depth after a wholesale of trades, further IR designations, and injuries.

Gervase a freshman walk-on at Iowa, he earned himself a scholarship and a starting position on the Hawkeyes defense. His senior year, he led the Hawkeye defense with 89 tackles (49 solo tackles), and also led the team with seven pass breakups. He finished his Hawkeye career playing in a total of 44 games recording 153 tackles (85 solo tackles), four tackles for loss, 20 pass deflections, seven interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Gervase went undrafted from the 2019 NFL Draft, and the Rams signed him to their practice squad. When allowed the opportunity to play during the pre-season, Gervase was all over the field. In four games played, Gervase recorded ten total tackles (eight solos), a fumble recovery, two pass breakups, and one interception.

Overview: If the Rams are to make the 2019 NFC Playoffs, they probably need to win this game. Last week's crushing loss against the San Francisco 49ers put their division title hopes on life support. A wild-card spot with the season less than half-over remains within reach, but another loss at this point will make that an uphill battle as well. The Rams still have tough games against the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers, among others. A nine-game winning streak to end up 12-4 or even going 8-1 to end at 11-5 might be theoretically possible, but the Rams team we have seen the last three weeks might be lucky to go 8-8. They need to win now!


The Atlanta Falcons, meanwhile, have been even more disappointing than the Rams this season. Many had them pegged as a playoff or even Super Bowl contender. At 1-5, that is pretty unlikely at this point, 


Rams Defense vs. Falcons Offense: For all of the problems Atlanta has had this season, they remain one of the most explosive offenses in the league. They are second only to the Kansas City Chiefs in passing offense, and only by about a yard a game. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has a chance to tie Kurt Warner as the only quarterback ever to open a season with seven consecutive 300-yard passing games to open a season.


In terms of passing yardage, this offense is right there with the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes and the "Greatest Show On Turf Rams." That is a lofty company.


Falcons receiver Julio Jones is a truly elite player. Most experts would probably rate either Jones or the Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins as the best wide receivers in the league. OK, Odell Beckham might still get a few votes, but the point is Julio Jones is excellent. The Rams, of course, acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a monster trade this week. Ramsey may very well be the best cornerback in the league, and Rams head coach Sean McVay stated that Ramsey is expected to play this week, and a battle between Jones and Ramsey might be worth the price of a game ticket all by itself. Jones hobbled with a hip injury kept him out of practice this week, but he is expected to play on Sunday.


However, the injuries that have hit the Rams secondary constitute a significant concern. Troy Hill is expected to start in place of the injured Aquib Talib, who is on injured reserve. We never know about Hill, and while Talib has not been great this season, there is a reason why he is the starter, and Hill typically is not. Hill will probably see a lot of Falcons receiver Mohammed Sanu, and that could be a problem for the Rams. As good as Jones is, Sanu has been more of a Ram killer in recent years. Presumably, Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will try to get Hill some Safety help over the top or go to a zone scheme, because leaving Hill one-on-one on Sanu is not a matchup that favors the Rams defense. Speaking of safeties, the Rams are also without starter John Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury last week against the Niners. Marquis Christian replaces him in the starting lineup at safety. As with Hill replacing Talib, that is a significant drop-off. The loss of Johnson is especially significant in this game because he probably would have drawn the primary job of shutting down Falcons tight end Austin Hooper. That job will likely fall to Christian, and it is no easy task. Hooper has 480 yards and three touchdowns this season.


​We would expect Wade Phillips to scheme for some help for Christian on Hooper, whether it is from fellow safety Eric Weddle or one of the linebackers. The Rams have used rookie safety Taylor Rapp as an inside linebacker on passing downs this season. As the Falcons featuring a high=octane passing attack and only a so-so running game, Rapp may see many snaps on Sunday.


The Rams need Hill and Christian to play their best games and hope they can disrupt Matt Ryan with an intense pass rush.


Speaking of which, one of the few bright spots in last week's debacle was Rams d-lineman Aaron Donald, who notched a pair of sacks and was his usual disruptive self. Rams nose tackle Sebastion Joseph-Day has quietly been playing better in recent weeks as well, even generating some pressure on the opposing quarterback. His battle with Falcons Center Alex Mack will be one to watch. 


The Rams need outside linebacker Dante Fowler to play better than he did last week when he notched multiple offsides penalties. Fowler can be a force as a pass rusher, and with Clay Matthews out with a broken jaw and Donald facing double or triple teams, it will be the time he needs to step up.


Fortunately for the Rams, the Falcon rushing attack has not been perfect this year, averaging only 73 yards a game, But Matt Ryan and company can score on anyone through the air, With the Rams secondary depleted due to injuries, they need to get in Matt Ryan's face regularly. Furthermore, let us be optimistic Hill, and Christian are at their best.


Advantage: Falcons


​Rams Offense vs. Falcons Defense: The good news for a Rams offense, which is trying to get back on track, is that the Atlanta defense has honestly not been outstanding this season. They are 27th in yards allowed and have given up more points per game than anyone except the Miami Dolphins. They are dead last in sacks with a paltry five or 0.8 per game. That is good news for a Rams offensive line, which has been pretty bad this season. One matchup which might offer some concerns is Rams guard David Edwards in his first NFL start against Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Jarrett may well be the Falcons best defensive player, and the overall poor play of this unit is no reflection on him. We would guess that the Rams will get Edwards some help, or this could get ugly.


The Rams are expected to have Todd Gurley back in this game, but be without running back Malcolm Brown. Whether it is due to injuries or poor offensive line play or both, Gurley has not been himself this season. If his sup-par performance continues on Sunday, the belief that he will never again be the same player he was will only increase. The Rams will probably also relay more on rookie Darrell Henderson, who showed flashes of brilliance last week before muffing a lateral, leading to a critical fumble.


The Falcons will be without defensive back Desmond Trufant, which is not good news against a Rams passing attack which had been racking up the yards before last week.


Frankly, if the Rams offense cannot rebound against the Falcons, the problems may be more profound than we would like to think.


Advantage: Rams


Special Teams: The Rams special teams, like everything else with this team, have been somewhat erratic at times in 2018. However, they are better than Atlanta's, at least on paper.


Advantage: Rams


Prediction: With the Rams defense hobbled by injury and the Falcons have struggled on that side of the ball all season, we would sort of expect a shootout here. As good as Jalen Ramsey is, he cannot balance the losses in the secondary all by himself. He does make this defense better than it would be without him. The Rams need to generate a pass rush and get their groove back on offense. If they can do that, they have a good chance in this game.


Its gut-check time for the Rams. The Falcons, meanwhile, will be at home and maybe playing for Head Coach Dan Quinn's job.


Rams 38, Atlanta 35





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