Bengals give Puka Nacua, Rams offense a reality check in L.A. road loss

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Playing without their best offensive player and without two starting linemen for a spell, the Los Angeles Rams struggled to move the football against a Cincinnati Bengals defense directed by one of the NFL’s most creative coordinators in Lou Anarumo.

Matthew Stafford was sacked six times, the Rams finished 1-of-11 on third down and 1-of-4 in the red zone and the Bengals earned their first victory of the season, 19-16 over visiting Los Angeles at Paycor Stadium on Monday.

“The situational ball that we’ve been pretty good in offensively was not good at all tonight, and that ended up really hurting us,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game.

Filling in as WR1 for the injured Cooper Kupp, rookie receiver Puka Nacua, who made history by posting 25 catches for 266 yards in his two NFL games, was held to five catches for 72 yards on seven targets. A 37-yard reception late in the game boosted those numbers.

The Rams also failed to effectively run the football, finishing with 71 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Left tackle Alaric Jackson suffered a thigh injury in the first half and was finished for the night, while right guard Joe Noteboom had to leave the game in the third quarter with a knee injury but later returned.

“There were some favorable opportunities that unfortunately we weren’t able to capitalize on,” McVay said when asked about the run game. “But sometimes you have sequences where you are trying to call a run, and they’ll give you a structure that enables you to get into different plays, whether that be throwing it or another run. That was something that came up tonight.”

Translation: Stafford audibled out of some called runs because of what Cincinnati’s defense showed before the snap.

McVay did not seem to adjust to his blindside protector being out, as he consistently left backup left tackle Zach Thomas on an island against Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson. It wasn’t pretty, as Hendrickson finished with a team-high eight pressures and two sacks after recording just four pressures heading into Week 3, according to Next Gen Stats.

“They were doing a lot of things where you do need for us to have all five eligibles,” McVay said when asked about blocking help for Thomas. “There will certainly be things to look at and wish I did better. There were some opportunities for us to make some plays and try to get through those downs, but it’s certainly something that I definitely need to look at.”

David Helman breaks down Cincinnati’s 19-16 win over L.A.

Unlike in L.A.’s win over the Bengals in Super Bowl 54, McVay appeared to have few answers for Anarumo’s pressure scheme. The Rams looked very similar to the team that struggled last year to protect an aging quarterback and move the ball.

Stafford finished 18-of-33 for 269 yards, with one touchdown to Tutu Atwell and two picks by Cincinnati linebacker Logan Wilson. According to Next Gen Stats, the Bengals blitzed 30.8% of the time and generated a pressure rate of 43.6%.

The Rams had a chance to take control of the game early but settled for short field goals on two of the team’s first three possessions. That included a 22-yard run by Atwell that was initially called a touchdown but was reversed by the replay official.

“The biggest thing for us tonight was missed opportunities early in the red zone,” Stafford said. “Obviously, if we can come away with some sevens there, it’s probably a little different game later on. … We just didn’t do enough on offense, especially early in the game, to give ourselves a lead there.”

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Meanwhile, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, playing with an injured calf, did just enough on offense to lead his team to victory. The Rams sacked Burrow twice but didn’t generate enough consistent pressure to make the hampered QB uncomfortable.

Burrow finished 26-of-49 for 256 yards, with no touchdowns and an acrobatic interception by Rams defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon.

At 1-2 on the season and in the NFC West cellar with the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams hit the road again, facing the Indianapolis Colts Sunday on a short week.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.