[ChaosTheory]

-Rams are a good team and played well. Stafford/Nacua roasted us last time and again yesterday. Nacua is just one of the best football players in the league. Their DL is good and stout. Their offense had a solid gameplan in two key aspects.

-That said: this was a self-inflicted loss. Glass half full is we can play with anyone even through injuries. Still 3-1 and it's not a fluke and luckily, it's an NFC game.

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MITCHELL SECTION


-Obvious goat (original meaning). Absolutely disgusting play that altered the game. I think and expect that you don't cut him. 2nd-round pick, top-level potential, and only just started year-2 of a rookie deal = no cut.

-That play was the embodiment. Unbelievable catch, excellent move to break free, and the burners to get to the endzone... and then he's so excited that his childish "look-at-me" kicks in and fucks it all up.

-While you don't cut him, you don't put him out there again until he absolutely proves you can trust him. If he can't get over whatever the fuck it is that makes him sulk away from his teammates and stand outside the huddle making a woe-is-me scene... he's too much of a liability. Dulin lacks his talent, but he has the want-to and focus.

-The holding call was egregious and salt on the wound. Holds happen. This one was incompetent. I don't know that it cost us a touchdown, because Williams would have affected the play... but if Mitchell is just a body in front of him (which is the minimum Pierce would have been) then Taylor still gets at least a first down, likely fights for a good chunk, and now we hit the 2-minute warning at around the 40 in FG range.

So either way, two game-altering fuck ups.


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REST OF THE OFFENSE


-Jones has displayed his weakness, which is his deep ball, several times now. Yesterday, the underthrows bit us twice. If Pierce isn't making a leaping catch or we're not getting a flag coming back to the ball... he's just not leading them deep. Still played pretty well overall. I thought the last throw was a little more desperate than it needed to be given the time left.

-JT looked good again. A shame he doesn't get the 130yds, 1td stat line. But he was looking like he's looked. Wearing on them until he breaks one.

-I felt like Steichen didn't use JT or play-action enough, particularly in the first half. They were taking away the bootleg, but PA doesn't need to boot. Much better in the second half.

-Warren continues to be a Godsend. That OPI after Hilton forced the fumble was bruuutal. Dogshit call. I'm sorry the guy is 260 and the DB weighs a wet towel's worth and goes flying. That should be his problem, not ours.

-Without rewatching yet, the OL did pretty well against a good DL. Bortolini getting trucked by Verse with a 2-yard head start and Tucker getting whipped a couple of times for pressures. Raimann got beat bad at the end. I mean you can live with one sack (the first one was a technicality).

-Pierce is very valuable to this offense.

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DEFENSE


-Xavien Howard had a worse game that Mitchell. At least Mitchell has the redemption possibility. Howard just looks old. McVay did everything he could to isolate Howard and just gutted him over and over.

I don't know what they'll do with him. CB room has been beaten up so bad.

-I was curious how Anarumo would approach Nacua/Adams. It felt like the Belichick idea of gluing your #1 to their #2, and then comboing their #1. Well, Ward stayed on Adams most of the game... but he either didn't combo Nacua or LAR schemed their way out of it.

-The off-tackle runs against our light defenders was gashing us particularly in the first half. Got better later in the game.

-I liked the pass rush this game. Latu's best game rushing and Adebawore looked pretty damn good on several reps.

-Cross still playing really well. I don't know what the fuck he was doing on the Adams TD at the end of the half.

-Speaking of which... Seems like Anarumo has gone vanilla a few times to play the clock. I don't know. But that 96-yard drive was soft as hell. They played well in the second half, and unless I'm wrong, seemed like they softened up again at the end with a lead.

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FINAL PLAY

-The 10-man is inexcusable. I initially thought it didn't matter because Blackmon just fell. But... Now I think Rodney Thomas was supposed to be out there playing shell.

All three CB's were manned up with WRs. Nick Cross was manned up with the TE. Bynum was deep on the strong side hash. So who's missing? Not a LB. A second deep safety on the weak hash.

After Blackmon fell, Bynum is on the other side and can't get over. Thomas would have been there. Maybe I'm wrong... but how the coaches didn't realize something was off and call a timeout is bananas.