Can LA uncover another gem in the rough at kicker despite their questionable special teams going into the game?
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams will play an early window game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. In their past four matches, the two clubs have a 2-2 record; LA lost the most recent one, 22-10. The Cowboys triumphed 20-17 against the Chargers last week following a humiliating 24-17 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. Meanwhile, the Rams enter the game coming off a difficult 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
These are the four main plot points that I think will have an impact on this weekend’s Los Angeles vs. Dallas game.
Who is the Rams’ field goal kicker?
After Brett Maher, a former kicker for the Cowboys, missed two field goals this season (for a total of six), LA dismissed him on Tuesday. Dallas is also aware with this, since Maher was not let go by the team this past offseason after missing four consecutive extra point tries in their 2022 playoff defeat to the 49ers.
According to head coach Sean McVay during Wednesday’s press conference, the Rams swiftly signed Lucas Havrisik off of the Cleveland Browns practice squad, in part because of the advice of former LA kicker Matt Gay, who had experience with Havrisik on the Colts:
“They had enjoyed him (Lucas) in Cleveland, and Matt Gay’s comments also had some influence.” Considering that he was surrounded by him in Indianapolis, all of those things play a part.”
Even though the Rams tried out a few more kickers on Wednesday, it appears like they are ready to start Sunday’s game with Havrisik, who has never attempted a kicking attempt during the regular season. On Wednesday, McVay went into further detail on the kicking problem, saying:
“Lucas is a player we ultimately signed; we’ll bring him in and assess his performance.” We also wanted to thank Brett Maher for his assistance and had a few other folks who we worked out as potential candidates.”
It appears like the Rams are looking to unearth a diamond in the rough in Havrisik once more, much as they did with the midseason acquisition of Matt Gay a few years back.
Micah Parsons vs the offensive line of LA
The Rams offensive line performed admirably against T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ pass rush, with Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein in particular having strong performances, according to PFF. But, left tackle Alaric Jackson struggled and will need to step up significantly against Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who is arguably the best defensive player in the league right now.
Micah Parsons currently has a grade of 91.0 from PFF, which is frankly outstanding. He comes into the game with 11 solo tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble. Los Angeles cannot put Jackson on an island alone with Parsons and will need to find creative ways to get him some help against the Cowboys star.
Surprisingly, even with Parsons, Dallas’ defense has been somewhat susceptible to the run, allowing 4.2 yards per carry (20th in the league) and 670 yards rushing on the season (13th in the league).
The Rams were able to run the ball last week even though they will not have starter Kyren Williams available until at least Week 10. Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson combined for 135 yards on the ground against Pittsburgh, and they could be the key to sustaining drives on Sunday.
Rams passing attack against a Dallas secondary beset by injuries
There should be plenty of possibilities for youngster Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp to make some huge plays if Matthew Stafford has time to push the ball down field. Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys’ standout cornerback, was placed on injured reserve early in the 2023 season due to a knee injury that ended the season.
The Cowboys are extremely thin in the secondary, which leaves them vulnerable against the Rams strong wide receiver group, who are tied for third in the NFL on offensive plays over 25 yards with 17 total. Their other cornerback, C.J. Goodwin, was also placed on season-ending injured reserve last week due to a torn pec muscle.
Leader in the middle, Leighton Vander Esch, a linebacker, has also been placed on injured reserve. As I mentioned before, this might also free up the center for the run game.
Dallas receivers against. LA secondary
With their greatest receiver, CeeDee Lamb, typically lined up in the slot, the Rams may have a tiny edge over the Cowboys’ wide outs, who would pit him against Cobie Durant for the most of the day.
This season, Durant has had trouble, allowing 19 receptions on 29 targets, and he presently has a PFF rating of 51.0. Zone coverages are a common tactic used by Los Angeles, therefore this may be useful against Lamb. Durant, though, will have to be the one to emerge from the Rams secondary most of the time.
LA will take on former WR Brandin Cooks outside. Even if Cooks’ season isn’t as stat-heavy as it once was, he has produced some clutch plays in pivotal situations, including as a score and a huge contested third-and-nine reception against the Chargers with three minutes remaining. The drive was sustained by that crucial reception, which ultimately resulted in the game-winning field goal.
The Rams will look to get back to .500 with a victory or risk falling to 3-5 and dropping further in the NFC standings with a loss.