With Drew Brees sidelined with an injury, the Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 27-9, at home in Week 2.
PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.
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Final Score
Los Angeles Rams 27, New Orleans Saints 9
Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp had himself an unbelievable game, as he led all receivers on either team. It seemed like he was always open for a first down whenever Goff and the Rams needed one. He capped it off with his massive 66-yard catch and run in which he broke three tackles.
Jared Goff was effective throwing the ball today as he looked good throwing it into tight windows as well as making smart choices with the football. Goff's early deep pass to Brandin Cooks was one of the better-thrown deep balls that you'll see all year. He also didn't put the ball in danger at all in this game.
Aaron Donald came out of the gate firing and looked unstoppable in the first half. He was blowing up plays in the backfield and the Saints had no answer. Donald ended up leaving the game for a brief period due to an injury but did return. After he returned, he was fairly quiet for the rest of the game, which may be attributed to feeling the effects of his injury.
The Rams' defense did not give up a lot of big plays and were sure-tackling throughout. The Rams' coverage held up on the back-end, forcing the Saints to funnel passes underneath and to check-downs for a majority of the afternoon.
Rookie Takeaways
Taylor Rapp had one outstanding pass breakup in coverage against Jared Cook and made several strong plays in the run game.
New Orleans Saints
Cameron Jordan was a force that the Rams' offensive line could hardly handle. He was a consistent presence in the backfield both as a pass-rusher and run defender. Jordan had a sack and multiple quarterback hurries while also adding some stops against Rams running backs.
The Saints' secondary struggled to keep up with the Rams' receivers throughout this game. Eli Apple and Vonn Bell both let up multiple first downs when they were targeted, and Marshon Lattimore was beaten by Brandin Cooks for both a huge play and a touchdown. None of those three had a single pass breakup between them.
The Saints' offense sorely missed Drew Brees once he left with an injury, as they were ineffective at sustaining drives with Teddy Bridgewater at the helm. Bridgewater had a difficult time finding open receivers, settling for underneath passes. The difference in pass accuracy going from Brees to Bridgewater was noticeable, as well.
Alvin Kamara had a quiet afternoon. He ran hard but was often met in the backfield by a Rams defender shortly after receiving the handoff. He also didn't add much in the passing game just catching two balls.
Rookie Takeaways
Saints' Erik McCoy really struggled in the run game, but he held his own in pass protection.
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