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Studs and duds from the Rams' 20-15 win over the Raiders in Week 7


Studs and duds from the Rams' 20-15 win over the Raiders in Week 7

The Los Angeles Rams won their second game of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 20-15 at SoFi Stadium. The offensive performance was disappointing, but the defense forced four turnovers and stepped up when needed most.

At 2-4, the Rams are still alive in the NFC West, but they have a quick turnaround as the Vikings come to town on Thursday night.

Not surprisingly, most of the Rams' players were on the defensive side of the ball, led by four players in the secondary alone. Despite an overall inconsistent performance, there were only a handful of duds for the Rams this week.

Breeding stallion: Kam Curl

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

For the second game in a row, Curl was much more effective as a box defender closer to the line of scrimmage. The Rams successfully attacked him several times, including once when he forced Aidan O'Connell into an intentional grounding penalty.

Curl also recovered Cobie Durant's forced fumble and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown, giving the Rams a 14-3 lead.

Dud: Justin Dedich

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Dedich got the starting shot at left-back ahead of Logan Bruss, who was benched by the coaching staff, but the situation didn't improve at all at that point. Dedich received no pressure at all in the running game and several times the Rams ran to his side and the running back was hit in the backfield.

Stud: Cobie Durant

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

What didn't Durant do in this game? He hit Gardner Minshew in the second quarter to set up Kyren Williams' first touchdown, and on the Raiders' next drive he stormed off the edge and knocked the ball out of Minshew's hand for a strip sack – which was returned by Curl for six. He finished the game with two tackles, one sack, one interception, two passes defended and one forced fumble.

Stud: Jared Verses

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Verse was extremely active up front for the Rams in this game, constantly generating pressure off the edge. His pressure led to Durant intercepting the ball and he flushed Minshew out of the pocket in his own end zone on third down to force the throwaway and punt.

Verse may need to continue to improve as a tackler, but his impact as a pass rusher is unquestionable. He pursued tirelessly Sunday, finishing the afternoon with four tackles, five quarterback hits and one tackle for a loss.

Stud stallion: Michael Hoecht

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Hoecht was used in different ways on Sunday, blitzing from center and rushing from a traditional outside linebacker spot. He also appeared in the reports several times and was actually able to hold his own in this role. He finished with six tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed, and significantly disrupted the Raiders' offense when he subbed in with Verse and Byron Young.

Dud: Matthew Stafford

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Stafford threw for just 154 yards, his fewest in a game he started and finished as a member of the Rams. He completed just 14 of 23 passes for 154 yards and no touchdowns and also threw an interception that was topped by Robert Spillane and picked off by Nate Hobbs.

It was a poor decision and good play by the linebacker to get into the throwing line, a play Stafford can't make in this situation. He was constantly under pressure, but Stafford played one of his worst games of the season.

Breeding stallion: Kyren Williams

(Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)

Williams was pretty much the only player who was effective on offense because nothing was working in the passing game. Williams ran for 76 yards on 21 carries and scored two more touchdowns to extend his streak to nine straight games with a score.

He wasn't involved at all as a receiver and didn't see any targets his way, but his effectiveness and hard running on the ground made a big difference for the Rams. He also helped put the game away at the end with a 14-yard run on the Rams' first play of the drive.

Dud: Joshua Karty

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

So, uh, the Rams could have a kicker problem again. Karty attempted just one field goal, a 35-yarder that would have made it a two-possession game, and he shot it off the left upright. He also missed an extra point after the Rams' third touchdown, keeping the score at 20-6 instead of 21-6.

Luckily, those misses didn't come back to weigh on Los Angeles, but Karty has been a bit shaky in recent weeks.

Stud: Quentin Lake

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Lake made a total of nine tackles in the game, none of which were bigger than his stop on Brock Bowers on the flat a few minutes before the end of the game. This happened in the third and fourth periods, stopping the tight end winless and forcing the Raiders to settle for a field goal. If Lake fails to make this tackle in man coverage, Bowers marches into the end zone to give the Raiders a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion.

He is by far the most reliable tackler on the team week in and week out.

Stud: Jaylen McCollough

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McCollough had a pick-six in his first extended opportunity in Week 5 and followed that up with two more interceptions on Sunday against the Raiders – each of which was crucial to the Rams' win. His first interception came on a tipped pass over the middle that led to a touchdown by Kyren Williams, and his second was the game-winner on the Raiders' final drive.

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