When the Rams were listed as 7.5-point underdogs entering last week’s game against the Ravens, many were shocked at the disrespect given to Sean McVay’s men – disrespect that was quickly taken back in the back-and-forth battle in rainy Baltimore.
The Ravens do have a lot going for them. They’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and they were fully rested coming off of a bye. However, the Rams have been rolling since getting Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams back. Winners of three straight, they looked to upset the bookies by putting in another excellent offensive display.
And that’s exactly what happened. The Rams offense clicked, so did the Ravens. Both teams had over 400 yards of offense with 47 combined first downs. In a war like this, the little things not only matter, they decide the outcome.
So when Tylan Wallace, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy, was set to field a Rams’ punt in overtime, the concern should’ve been if he would have properly secured the ball in such awful conditions.
I mean, Wallace has yet to live up to his expectations. He’s replacing All-Pro returner Devin Duvernay who was injured and he might try and do too much with this limited opportunity. Despite the pressure, it was Chase Blackburn’s special teams unit who dropped the ball and allowed Wallace to score the game-winning touchdown on a punt return in overtime.
This letdown was so egregious that McVay was quoted as saying, “there were some instances yesterday where we could have been better” when talking about his special teams unit, citing the six missed tackles on the game-winning punt return. The Rams looked out of place, displayed zero gap integrity and looked like me trying to grab Allen Verano in a third-grade game of tag: confused and sweaty.
In addition to letting Wallace score a touchdown, earlier in the game, they failed to down a punt inside the 5-yard line. They also let Duvernay get away with an early kick return that he mindlessly took out of the endzone.
However, this is a common theme for the Rams. According to FTN Fantasy, they rank dead last in special teams DVOA with a mark of -8.3% – significantly worse than the next-closest team, the Patriots (-4.3%). They simply can’t get their special teams in order. If it’s not the punting squad, it’s the kicking game. Fortunately, kicker Lucas Havrisik was perfect on the day, going 3-for-3 on field goals and hitting all his extra points. Havrisik has yet to gain the full trust of the coaching staff due to his prior erratic accuracy, and despite Mason Crosby being cut from the practice squad, Havrisik’s play forced the Rams to sign veteran him in the first place. Crosby, who is clearly years past his prime, at one point seemed like a viable option because Havrisik has yet to play at a high, consistent level.
Let’s also not forget that Havrisik only has the job because Brett Maher kicked his way out of the league. Quite frankly this special teams unit has not played at the elite level we once saw them at during the early days of McVay and there’s only one reason for this being the situation. John Fassel. Since Fassel left, the standards and play have dropped.
Despite winning a Super Bowl with the Rams, Fassel’s replacement, Joe DeCamillis, after the 2022 season due to poor performance and Blackburn might find a similar fate if he doesn’t get his house in order quickly.
Should the Rams move on, a proper replacement lies in the same city. The Chargers’ special teams coordinator, Ryan Ficken, might be looking for a job soon. Ficken has done an excellent job for the Bolts, most notably curing them from their kicking woes. Both Dustin Hopkins and Cameron Dicker have looked excellent under him while playing at a Pro Bowl level.
Special teams matter and if the Rams can’t right the ship, another losing season could be upon them.
