Random Ramsdom: AD didn’t have many stats to brag about after this one

Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 9/19/23

The San Francisco 49ers held Aaron Donald mostly in check this past Sunday, as he really could not muster up much for his stat sheet. Donald may have impacted the game outside of the stats, but it’s a division loss nonetheless. Donald was not the only player that ultimately didn’t do enough to help the Los Angeles Rams get the win. Matthew Stafford looked great for most of the contest but once again he couldn’t do enough to beat the 49ers. It’s not a totally deflating loss for LA who kept the game close, but it’s disappointing for the team and its fanbase.

Do you expect the Rams defensive line to bounce back against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3?

Comment on anything you’d like and thanks for checking out some links today!

McKivitz, 49ers’ O-line bounce back vs. Rams, keep Donald at bay (nbcsportsbayarea)

“We just commit everything to [Donald] because he ruins everything,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the win. “I didn’t realize it was like that stat sheet, but definitely didn’t feel like that. I thought he defeated a number of blocks today. We were just able to get rid of it before he got there and run away from it.”

In Week 1, first-time starter Colton McKivitz had a rough day at right tackle opposite Watt. Along with guard Spencer Burford, the right side of the line seemed to be the only glaring liability in the 49ers’ dominant 30-7 win, as Watt walked away with three sacks on the day.

For the Rams, however, Donald was held to just one quarterback hurry against the 49ers and finished the game without a tackle — and, most importantly, without a sack. The one-possession game could have looked a lot different for San Francisco had Donald produced the kind of pressure Watt did just one week prior.”

What Kyle Shanahan said the day after 49ers’ Week 2 win vs. Rams (49erswebzone)

“What did you do for yourself to make yourself a better coach this offseason? What were some things that you were trying to work on? Then two games in, how do you feel like you’re doing?

“I don’t know. Usually in the offseason, we always try to review our tape. We review things from around the league to see what to add, see what fits in, spend a lot of the offseason trying to study personnel to add in the Draft or personnel to add in free agency. Those are the biggest parts as a coach that you try to do to make your team better is to try to help out and see who you can add to it to make it better. Sometimes those are real tough decisions that we all spend a lot of time working on. Then my biggest thing is trying to relax a little bit more in the offseason because I’ve learned how long of a grind the season is and how long it goes and how much you’ve got to get up for each week. I really try to get mentally stronger with books and some self-help type things so when you go into the season, you’re ready to go.”

The way the schedule sets up, a lot of people already have you 4-0. I’m sure as a coach you don’t welcome any of that talk. Do you have to guard against, ‘Hey, one game at a time, any given Sunday’ type of stuff?

“We would if all our guys talked to you (laughter), but hopefully they’re not. Hopefully they look at the tape and see how good teams are each and every week. We thought Pittsburgh was going to be a battle. I know that didn’t go the exact way we expected. We believed going into this game, the Rams was going to come down to the last possession and I see no different this Thursday night. So I don’t feel our team feels that way at all.”

NFL Rumors: New reports clarify Cam Akers’ future w/ LA Rams, and fans won’t like it (ramblinfan)

“The LA Rams are certainly willing to move on quickly. If that point was not driven home last season when the team was willing to release a number of contributors mid-season: Including running back Darrell Henderson, then it was absolutely clear when the team traded or released a number of other veteran players this off-season.

This is a ‘We, not me,’ team right now, and while the team might have strayed from that path in the past, it is firmly on track this season. And so, when LA Rams RB Cam Akers was stunned at the latest developments, that is on him. Despite the lack of background details of recent events, we know that the LA Rams benching of RB Cam Akers for Week 2 was just the tip of the iceberg. The other shoe would drop quickly.”

NFL Gamblers Irate That the LA Rams Kicked a ‘Meaningless’ End-of-Game FG Which Covered the Point Spread (mediaite.com)

“The Los Angeles Rams became the talk of gambling Twitter on Sunday when the team kicked a game-ending field goal despite its loss being virtually guaranteed.

Going into the game, the San Francisco 49ers were 7.5-point favorites according to multiple sportsbooks. As the game was coming to an end, the Niners led 30-20. For bettors that took the Rams to win by more than 7.5 — things were looking good and it seemed like they were just minutes away from winning some money.

Those bettors’ moods drastically changed when, with four second left, the Rams kicked a field goal to lose by seven points — obviously under 7.5 — instead of 10.”