Raiders-Rams preview: Why running game could (finally) click this week
It’s been another wild week for the Raiders.
They traded their best offensive player in wide receiver Davante Adams to the Jets on Tuesday, the same day they welcomed Tom Brady into their ownership group.
The hope is the team can start to find some consistency on the field amid all the off-field headlines.
At least the Raiders will be in familiar territory Sunday. They’re making their second trip to SoFi Stadium this season, this time to play the Rams.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Rams
■ When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: SoFi Stadium; Inglewood, Calif.
■ TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, play-by-play; Trent Green, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Lincoln Kennedy, analyst)
■ Line: Rams -7, total 43½
Series history
The Raiders hold an 8-7 edge in the all-time series, but the Rams have won three straight meetings and five of the last six.
The Raiders won seven of the first nine matchups, including four of five when both were located in Southern California.
Last meeting
Dec. 8, 2022 — Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who signed with the Rams days earlier and learned the team’s playbook on a flight, threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Van Jefferson with just 10 seconds remaining to lead his team to a 17-16 victory at home.
Mayfield’s game-winning drive was aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Raiders defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. The Rams, who were about to face a second-and-19 at their own 13-yard line, got some breathing room thanks to the flag. Mayfield threw a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Ben Skowronek on the next play.
The loss was crippling for the Raiders, who led 16-3 before running back Cam Akers scored a 1-yard touchdown for the Rams with 3:19 remaining. The defeat dropped the team to 5-8 and all but extinguished its playoff hopes.
Bold predictions
1. Running back Alexander Mattison will record the Raiders’ first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
2. Cornerback Jack Jones will get his first interception of the year and return it at least 20 yards.
3. Rams running back Kyren Williams will have more than 50 receiving yards for the first time this season.
Storyline
The Raiders have had an ugly few weeks.
They’ve been blown out 34-18 by the Broncos and 32-13 by the Steelers since news broke that Adams wanted to be traded. Now the deal is done and the team can move on.
It won’t be easy. The Raiders, who also didn’t have wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (ankle) last week, have struggled to throw the ball to the perimeter. Wide receivers DJ Turner and Tre Tucker had a hard time getting open against Pittsburgh. When they did, quarterback Aidan O’Connell had trouble finding them.
The Raiders’ schedule doesn’t do them any favors, either. They figure to be significant underdogs their next three games heading into their bye week.
When the Raiders have the ball
This may be the week the Raiders get their running game going.
They feel they’ve found something with Mattison as their lead back. Plus, the Rams are awful against the run, ranking last in rushing yards allowed per game (157.6).
Of course, the Raiders need to prove they can execute. They haven’t done that well all season.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy still expressed optimism this week. He said there were a couple of plays against the Steelers that were close to being huge gains.
He believes the Raiders are a few tweaks away from being the kind of offense they hope to become.
One example was a screen pass to running back Ameer Abdullah the team ran on its second drive last week. The play lost a yard, but it could have flipped the field if right guard Dylan Parham had picked up linebacker Patrick Queen before Queen made the tackle.
“We are just our guard turning just a little bit to his left away from a 40-yard gain on a screen (and then) Ameer is running wild and we’re all going crazy,” Getsy said.
When the Rams have the ball
The Rams could get a massive piece of their offense back this week. Star wide receiver Cooper Kupp is questionable with an ankle injury that’s caused him to miss three games.
Kupp, who has 18 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown, is a key part of the Rams’ offense. The team also has a dangerous back in Williams and one of the NFL’s best play-callers in coach Sean McVay.
But the person who makes the Rams go is quarterback Matthew Stafford. He can throw the ball into tight windows and deliver it accurately with all sorts of different arm angles.
“We definitely talked about him a lot this week,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “The main thing to look at with Stafford when you watch the tape is he has full access to the field. Arm-strength-wise, we know that. A lot of the quarterbacks we played this past year had the ability to get the ball to all different spots on the field, but he’s really accessing all parts of the field.”
Injury report
■ Rams: QUESTIONABLE: WR Cooper Kupp (ankle), LT Joe Noteboom (ankle), WR Jordan Whittington (shoulder). FULL: LG Logan Bruss (knee), LS Alex Ward (illness).
■ Raiders: OUT: MLB Tommy Eichenberg (quad), OLB Kana’i Mauga (knee), RG Dylan Parham (foot). DOUBTFUL: WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: DT Adam Butler (knee/illness), DT John Jenkins (illness), RB Zamir White (groin). LIMITED: DE Maxx Crosby (ankle). FULL: CB Jack Jones (illness), WR Tyreik McAllister (shoulder), LT Kolton Miller (knee/shoulder), RT Thayer Munford Jr. (knee/ankle), LG Jackson Powers-Johnson (knee).
The pick
Rams 27, Raiders 16
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
