Jalen Ramsey has been the ultimate eraser for the Rams the last two seasons, helping take away teams’ top receivers on a near-weekly basis. There have been times where Raheem Morris doesn’t let him shadow the opposing No. 1 receiver, but he’s gotten plenty of opportunities to cover them.
He had the chance to cover DK Metcalf pretty frequently on Tuesday night and with Tyler Lockett out due to COVID-19, Ramsey took away Russell Wilson’s favorite target.
According to Next Gen Stats, Ramsey lined up across from Metcalf on 18 of 29 coverage snaps, allowing just two receptions for 21 yards on seven targets. Metcalf finished with six catches and 52 on the night, but most of that production came against other defenders.
DK Metcalf was targeted seven times when Jalen Ramsey was the nearest defender. Metcalf caught only 2 of the 7 targets for 21 yards.
🔹 62% shadow (18 of 29 cov snaps)
🔹 Ramsey pressed @ LOS only once (6%)#SEAvsLAR | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/GezcqR9Ej3— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 22, 2021
Ramsey made two outstanding plays to prevent big gains by Metcalf, deflecting two passes on deep shots by Wilson – both on the left side of the field.
The first was on a corner route where Ramsey undercut Metcalf, baited Wilson to throw it and then deflected the pass away for an incompletion. Ramsey said after the game that he baited Wilson into the throw and tried for an interception, but the pass was just a bit high so he could only knock it away.
On 3rd & 6, Wilson incomplete to Metcalf defended by Ramsey#Seahawks 0 #Rams 3 Q2 pic.twitter.com/6hlLo1TmPu
— Sports 24/7 (@Sports24x7_) December 22, 2021
The second deflection came later in the game on third-and-14 with the Rams up 17-10. It looked like Ramsey was beat, but he said after the win that he wasn’t, which suggests he expected help over the top from the safety.
Regardless, he showed good makeup speed to get back in position to knock away the pass, which was terribly underthrown by Wilson.
Just a reminder that @jalenramsey is the best corner in the league.
📺 @NFLonFox pic.twitter.com/bBwZOtMZu9
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 22, 2021
Metcalf could’ve had a big day if not for Ramsey’s two deflections, but that’s why the Rams pay him the big bucks. He’s undoubtedly the best cornerback in the league and backs up his trash talk with some great play on the field.
Please tell me Jalen Ramsey rocked the baby after that pass breakup bc DK wears a pacifier for a mouthpiece pic.twitter.com/NlkG2JVbcj
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) December 22, 2021
