Studies of formations, protection, route combinations and defensive responsibilities across Rams eras. Each example pairs a published account with football analysis.
Step through NFL plays and player-role comparisons. Each diagram isolates the players involved in the decision; the linked accounts provide the game context.
Gurley described waiting for the blitzers before getting out.
The drawing shows a short outlet behind the advancing rush, with a lineman moving ahead as support.
The account records a long touchdown after the catch. This sequence stops at the reception; it does not resolve the blocks or pursuit.
The offense needs the rush to pass the receiving space while the back and quarterback still have a usable connection.
The release timing follows Gurley’s account. Players other than Goff and Gurley are generic. Exact alignments, line assignments and blocking outcomes are not reconstructed. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
○ Offense◇ Defense● BallDashed line: movement · Dotted line: pass
Young said Newton’s mannerisms alerted him.
The account credits Donald with interrupting the receiver’s route. The drawing pauses that release while Young approaches.
Young reaches the throw. The reported play ended in a return touchdown; the illustration stops at the interception.
A screen needs the receiver to reach the throw. A disrupted release and a linebacker anticipating the pass can remove that connection.
Selected responsibilities from the published account. The intended receiver is shown generically. Spacing, contact and the ball’s path are explanatory; the full rush and coverage are omitted. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
○ Offense◇ Defense● BallDashed line: movement · Dotted line: pass
This illustration starts the receiver inside the boundary, leaving room for an outside catch.
The receiver works toward the outside. Compare the catch point with the defender’s inside position and the space remaining before the boundary.
Beckham scored on a fade. Here, focus on the catch point.
The sideline limits the available space. Receiver and quarterback need a catch point that stays in bounds while keeping the defender away from the ball.
Fade mechanics illustrated from the reported touchdown. Defender position, release and throw trajectory are schematic; this is not a reconstruction of Cincinnati’s coverage. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
A check-release delays the route while the eligible receiver checks his protection responsibility. Staying close initially gives the protection another possible answer.
The tight end has not entered the route yet. An underneath defender must account for a receiving option that can appear after the initial routes develop.
The Rams account describes a catch near the line followed by a 15-yard gain. The diagram stops at the catch; the account also describes Ferguson breaking a tackle.
Releasing late can preserve a receiving option after the protection check. The defense still has to account for that player when he enters the route.
The account identifies a check-release and a catch near the line. It does not identify Ferguson’s protection key or the full coverage; those details are not assigned here. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
Seattle often moved Bennett inside next to Avril in passing situations. Each could affect the blocker facing the other.
Avril explained that Bennett’s width stretched the guard’s job. The diagram shows the guard moving toward that interior threat.
If the tackle helps inside, Avril has more room outside. The figure stops before a block is won; the tackle may still recover.
An inside threat can affect the outside matchup before either rusher wins. Watch the tackle’s attention and the space the guard must defend.
This illustrates the adjacent rush responsibilities Avril described, not a particular sack. The blockers are generic. Their movement shows a protection problem, not a proven block defeat. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
Ware described Harris and Talib as a reason he expected more time to reach the quarterback. Phillips coordinated the 2015 defense.
The receivers stay close to defenders as they move. If the quarterback cannot use those options immediately, the rush has longer to develop.
Miller and Ware continue outside while the ball stays with the quarterback. The sequence stops before contact; it does not award a sack.
Pass rush and coverage share the same play. A receiver who is covered briefly can give a rusher another opportunity; a quick release can remove it.
A relationship described by Ware, not a replay of a specific snap. Receiver routes and coverage positions are examples; safeties and other rushers are omitted. No extra time is measured. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
○ Offense◇ Defense● BallDashed line: movement · Dotted line: pass
Metcalf moves toward Williams. Williams said the motion and tight alignment matched a screen he had prepared for.
The screen aims to put the ball in Metcalf’s hands quickly. Williams commits toward the expected pass.
Williams intercepts. The reported result is a return touchdown; this diagram stops at the interception.
The corner attacks the throwing lane. Arriving early enough to intercept is a different outcome from tackling the receiver after the catch.
Selected players only. Motion, spacing and movement are illustrative; the account does not establish Williams’ exact path past the blocker. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
○ Offense◇ Defense● BallDashed line: movement · Dotted line: pass
The published account describes an I-formation with Gurley behind Everett. The Rams have a back, three tight ends and one receiver on the field.
Gurley moves outside Woods on the left. Hill stays outside with Gurley; Barr is left covering Woods.
Goff finds Woods up the seam for the touchdown. The back affects the matchup without receiving the pass.
Gurley’s receiving threat occupies a corner outside. That leaves Woods running vertically against a linebacker inside.
Selected matchup only. The account names the shift, defenders and seam throw. Other routes and exact spacing are omitted. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
○ Offense◇ Defense● BallDashed line: movement · Dotted line: pass
Young and Verse are the familiar edge players. Lake and Witherspoon are also part of the pressure picture.
Young and Verse drop. Lake and Witherspoon rush with two interior defenders: four rushers in total.
The Rams account says Lake forces Darnold left and Witherspoon causes the fumble. Verse, watching the quarterback, collects it and scores.
A four-man rush can still change the protection problem. The edge players drop as defensive backs arrive from outside.
Role diagram, not the full formation. Two interior rushers are shown generically; precise alignments, protection rules and drop landmarks are not reconstructed. Replay pacing is for reading, not game timing.
Read the evidence and analysis below, or use the chapter links to explore another era.
2020 season · Wild Card · January 9, 2021
Darious Williams reads the Metcalf screen
Published account
Seattle motioned Metcalf toward Williams before the screen. Williams intercepted Wilson’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. He said he had seen the pattern before, including in an earlier meeting. His postgame account connected the read to film preparation, motion and tight alignment.
Analysis
The distinction is between arriving at the receiver and reaching the pass first. Williams anticipated where the ball would go and attacked its path. A screen can be thrown quickly and still be vulnerable when its formation and motion reveal the target.
Recognize
Williams said he expected Seattle to move Metcalf away from Ramsey and use a quick throw.
Reach the pass
The route past the blocker is the key film detail: how does Williams enter the throwing lane before the receiver secures the ball?
Finish
The interception becomes a return touchdown. Recognition creates the opportunity; ball skills and the return finish it.
The Rams’ account identifies a left screen on second-and-11 from their own 20. Gurley scored from 80 yards. He later described waiting for the blitzers to go past before releasing, and credited the linemen in front of him.
Analysis
A traditional back screen uses the rush’s movement to create space for a short throw. The back must leave at a usable moment, and the quarterback must still deliver the ball. This example supports the screen’s place in the offense; it does not establish whether later Rams teams called it less often.
Invite the rush
Watch how the protection picture draws defenders toward the quarterback.
Release behind it
The back needs a path out and a throw he can catch before pursuit recovers.
Run behind support
Releasing linemen and the back’s decisions matter after the catch.
Against New England, Akers combined a large rushing workload with receiving contributions. In the Green Bay playoff loss, he scored from seven yards on a direct snap, then received Jefferson’s lateral for the two-point conversion. Jefferson also caught a short touchdown pass earlier in that game.
Analysis
The direct snap removes the quarterback-to-back handoff from that play. The lateral asks the defense to follow a second transfer after the catch. These are distinct jobs within Akers’ role, and Jefferson’s short score also cautions against describing his use as exclusively deep.
Identify the ball handler
Separate a conventional handoff from a direct snap to the back.
Follow the transfer
A catch followed by a lateral creates another moment when defenders must locate the ball.
Keep the game context
Those scores narrowed the deficit; they did not reverse the eventual loss.
Next film question Identify each blocker and the quarterback’s position before assigning a run concept or claiming a numerical advantage.
The Rams’ 2021 account credits both Henderson and Michel in pass protection. A later account praises Kyren Williams’ blocking when he does not have the ball. These are published assessments, not comparative blocking grades.
Analysis
Protection ability gives the offense another way to handle pressure from the same personnel. Keeping the back in also removes an immediate receiving option. Read that decision beside Ferguson’s check-release: availability for a route depends on the protection job first.
Identify the threat
The back must understand which rusher, if any, belongs to his assignment.
Stay or release
The protection rule determines when the back can enter a route.
Judge the whole play
A completion alone does not tell us whether the back identified and handled his task correctly.
Next film question Chart the assignment, threat, contact and release separately. Include plays on which the quarterback throws quickly.
The Rams’ retrospective describes Martz using downfield routes with Bruce, Holt and Faulk. The line had to protect while those routes developed. Early McVay also used personnel, formations and run action to influence coverage.
Analysis
Both approaches could stretch defenders between threats at different depths. The difference to study is how the space was created and how long the quarterback had to use it.
The Rams’ published account describes heavy personnel shifting into an empty backfield: Gurley drew an outside corner while Woods matched up with Anthony Barr on a seam route.
Analysis
Moving the back outside changed the coverage assignment. Woods benefited inside, showing why a receiver’s alignment can matter even when he is not targeted.
In 2006, Jackson paired 1,528 rushing yards with 90 catches for 806 receiving yards. Bradford’s later passing averages improved in 2012; they do not support a simple story of the deep ball steadily disappearing.
Analysis
Study protection, receiving options, system changes and quarterback decisions together. Jackson’s catches establish a receiving workload; Bradford’s passing average alone cannot identify his deep throws.
Ferguson, Bowers and McBride: alignment and responsibility
Published account
The Rams documented Ferguson’s slot fade and check-release work in the 2025 preseason, then linked his growth to multi-tight-end formations. The Raiders’ 2026 coaches discussed the possibilities of Bowers and Mayer; McBride supplies a separate Arizona comparison.
Analysis
A tight end who can block and release into a route gives the same formation more uses. Check which protection responsibility precedes the release and whether the route reaches its window on time.
Robinson and Atwell: receivers beyond the primary targets
Published account
Atwell’s 50-yard reception against San Francisco and Robinson’s one-handed overtime touchdown in Seattle are distinct examples of receivers finishing downfield opportunities. Both appear in the Rams’ official highlights.
Analysis
A deep completion and a red-zone target ask different questions. On the former, examine the release, safety help and time available; near the goal line, examine leverage and the limited space behind the defender. These catches establish useful examples, not a complete account of either receiver’s route usage.
Beckham scored on a 17-yard fade. He also contributed a 35-yard reception on the next Rams scoring drive before his injury.
Analysis
The fade is a useful example of creating a catch opportunity near the boundary. Study how the release, receiver’s position and throw placement work together. The following gain also matters: Beckham gave the offense a downfield option beyond its scoring-area matchup. The exact coverage and route adjustments require the full play view.
Beckham scored a 54-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ loss at Green Bay. The game account confirms the long completion and score; it does not identify the route’s coaching terminology.
Analysis
The starting observation is a fake slant before the deep route. In a slant-and-go, the receiver invites the corner to drive on the short break, then turns upfield. Check Beckham’s initial steps and the defender’s response before assigning that label to this play. The protection must also allow time for the second movement.
McVay later described an expected loaded defensive front paired with early-down quarters structures. He contrasted that zone emphasis with the man-coverage approach New England had used against earlier playoff opponents. The Rams did not adjust effectively enough.
Analysis
The run front and the coverage behind it need to be read together. Adding bodies near the line does not necessarily mean the same receivers will be isolated in man coverage. A run-action pass still needs an answer for defenders who keep their depth and protect the intended window.
Read the front
Where are the defenders placed to contest the run?
Check the coverage
Does the secondary follow receivers or protect areas as routes develop?
Find the adjustment
Which available route can reach space before pressure ends the play?
Next film question Compare the same Rams formation against different front-and-coverage pairings. Do not infer the full call from the pre-snap shell alone.
Kenny Young said Newton’s mannerisms alerted him to a screen. The Rams’ account also credits Donald with disrupting the intended receiver’s route. Young intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Analysis
The screen needs a receiver who reaches the throw on time. Disrupting that release and anticipating the pass can work together. This is a useful counterexample to Gurley’s screen, although the two plays used different personnel and defenses.
Recognize
Young anticipated the screen before reaching the ball.
Interrupt the release
Donald’s contribution interrupted the receiver’s route.
Reach the pass
The interception required Young to arrive where the throw went.
Next film question Separate the effects of release disruption, quarterback pressure and throw placement before crediting one defender with the entire result.
Tennessee’s contemporary account describes Jim Washburn’s linemen attacking off the ball and controlling gaps, supported by the defenders behind them. Finnegan was one of several players and coaches with Tennessee connections who later joined Fisher in St. Louis.
Analysis
An attacking front still needs assigned run gaps and support behind it. Familiar coaches and players can help teach those responsibilities, but the assignments must be checked within each season.
The Rams beat Denver 22–7 on November 16 and Oakland 52–0 on November 30. The shutout belongs to the Raiders game.
Analysis
These games show what Fisher’s teams could produce. Comparing their successful stops with similar situations in losses would explain the inconsistency more than either score alone.
Spagnuolo’s Rams tenure precedes the later Kansas City defense examined in Diante Lee’s reporting. Those interviews describe adaptable defensive-back responsibilities and concealed pressure sources.
Analysis
Interchangeable defensive-back roles can make the protection identify the wrong threat. Bringing a defender from coverage also changes who handles the quick receiving option. The Chiefs example is a later comparison, separate from his Rams tenure.
Jacksonville’s rush, coverage and offensive support
Published account
Ramsey and Bouye’s outside coverage complemented Campbell, Ngakoue, Jackson and Fowler up front, with Smith, Jack and Posluszny supplying different linebacker responsibilities. Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh 45–42 in the divisional playoff.
Analysis
The defense created possessions and points, while Pittsburgh still completed major downfield throws. Jacksonville’s offense had to keep scoring. The game is useful because it shows both the strengths and the limits of that defense.
The Rams’ transition account describes a 3–4 base that retained one-gap penetration. Donald kept his interior attacking role, while Phillips could change the source of the fourth pass rusher.
Analysis
The front’s label does not explain every assignment. Follow which player rushes, who drops and how the protection accounts for that exchange.
Staley’s preseason explanation emphasized creating isolated matchups for Donald and using Ramsey across defensive-back roles. This describes his intended structure before the season.
Analysis
Moving a defensive back can change the help available inside. An interior rush also affects how long the quarterback can wait for a route. Study the coverage and front as connected assignments.
The Rams’ Super Bowl account records Donald’s fourth-down pressure on Burrow after Stafford’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Kupp.
Analysis
That finish belongs beside the criticism of underneath space during Morris’s tenure. Evaluate the coverage depth against the first-down line and the time available before pressure arrives.
On the play that produced Verse’s return touchdown against Minnesota, the Rams report says Verse and Young dropped while Lake and Witherspoon rushed from the edges. The defense sent four.
Analysis
Changing the rushers can disrupt protection without increasing their number. The dropping defenders must still cover the receiving options the pressure leaves available.
Lewis, Willis, Bowman and Warner: reading before reacting
Published account
Before Super Bowl XLVII, Dean Pees and Haloti Ngata described the communication needed to assign San Francisco’s handoff, quarterback, pitch and pass threats. Willis later described his partnership with Bowman as adjusting to the formation and covering for each other. After the January 2023 Dallas playoff game, Warner credited Jimmie Ward’s break on the ball for creating his interception.
Analysis
Recognition, communication and coverage connect these players across eras. Warner’s receiver assignments extend this comparison; they do not make earlier linebackers simple run defenders. Follow the assigned receiver, the help available and the run responsibility before comparing speed or body type.
Barron moved from a hybrid role to weakside linebacker in the Rams’ 4–3, then inside linebacker under Phillips. Thomas Davis had already made a safety-to-linebacker transition in Carolina. Adams’ Seattle debut and Staley’s account of James show a separate use of safeties across pressure, coverage and run assignments.
Analysis
Barron is an important Rams example, with clear predecessors. Adams and James belong beside him as comparisons in deployment, not as interchangeable linebackers. A player’s listed position or weight cannot tell us which blockers he faces, which routes he carries or who supplies help.
Seattle’s accounts place Wagner and Wright between its celebrated secondary and the defensive line. In passing situations, Avril often rushed at left end beside Bennett at tackle. Avril explained how Bennett’s alignment affected the guard and the tackle’s ability to help outside.
Analysis
The rushers influenced adjacent blockers and each other’s opportunities. Include Wagner and Wright when studying that defense: underneath responsibilities and communication connect the front to Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor. The secondary’s reputation alone does not explain how the unit functioned.
Denver paired DeMarcus Ware with Von Miller and added Phillips as coordinator in 2015. Ware described the value of playing with Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib: coverage could delay the throw. Denver’s retrospective connects that coverage to the rush during its championship season.
Analysis
This comparison brings Phillips back into the Rams study. Coverage can make the quarterback hold the ball; pressure can end the play before coverage has to hold longer. The task is to identify that exchange on each snap rather than assign every sack to either the rusher or the coverage.
The Rams described Whittington running an in-breaking route on a second-quarter third-and-three. As a linebacker dropped into his path, he came back toward Stafford’s throw and made a sliding catch. The account also discusses his work on shallow routes.
Analysis
Receiver development includes recognizing how a route’s space changes after the snap. This example gives us more to examine than a deep-target label. It does not establish that the route was a formally assigned option or identify Stafford’s complete progression.
Enter the middle
The receiver’s path takes him toward an underneath defender.
Respond to the closing space
Coming back toward the throw changes the catch point.
Finish the catch
Adjustment and possession are separate parts of the completion.
Next film question Compare the prescribed route with the adjustment on film, then examine untargeted snaps before judging the breadth of his role.
Bruce and Holt → Britt → Woods, Cooks, Kupp and Puka
Receiver roles across Rams eras
Published account
Britt’s 2016 receiving line was 68 catches, 1,002 yards and five touchdowns. In a different offense two years later, Woods moved into Kupp’s role against Seattle after injuries. McVay credited his understanding of the complete combinations and blocking responsibilities.
Analysis
Woods’s ability to change roles helped preserve the offense after injuries. Kupp’s work with Puka adds another example of teaching the timing and assignments of a full combination.
Kupp’s receiving triple crown comprised 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. His earlier rehabilitation account and later teaching role add context to a career remembered for that peak.
Analysis
The quarterback and receiver need a shared response when coverage changes. Their preparation matters most when the first route is covered or pressure shortens the play.
The move for the first overall pick cost the Rams picks across two drafts, with fourth- and sixth-round choices also coming back. Whitworth, Sullivan, Woods and Kupp arrived for McVay’s first season. Cooks followed in 2018.
Analysis
Whitworth and Sullivan strengthened the line’s experience. Woods and Kupp added receivers who could carry several assignments. Evaluate those changes separately from the draft price paid for Goff.
The Rams later used Ramsey both outside and in the movable star role. A 2019 account describes Fowler’s pressure working alongside Donald’s interior threat.
Analysis
Ramsey’s inside role brought him closer to short routes and run action. Fowler’s edge rush complemented pressure inside. The comparison concerns their responsibilities and surrounding personnel.
Jefferson · 2020 assessment; Whittington and Mumpfield · 2025 camp
Does the assigned role allow a receiver to develop?
Published account
Matt Bowen’s draft assessment emphasized Jefferson’s short and intermediate route running. In July 2025, McVay described Whittington as able to play all three receiver spots while expanding his route volume. Adams discussed Mumpfield experimenting with pace and learning from unsuccessful repetitions.
Analysis
A narrow game role could limit opportunities to develop other skills, but that remains a hypothesis here. Chart routes run, alignment, intended reads and targets separately. Add health, protection and receiver execution before attributing an outcome to coaching. For Whittington and Mumpfield, compare the practice descriptions with the range of assignments they receive in games.
Hekker and Zuerlein: keep the possession decision visible
Published account
In the NFC Championship, Hekker’s pass to Shields converted fourth-and-five from the Rams’ 30 and extended a drive that ended in a field goal. Zuerlein later tied and won the game with kicks. In the earlier meeting, Hill covered Higbee on a fake field goal; Hekker ran and was ruled short after review.
Analysis
Fassel’s unit gave the team ways to retain possession and finish drives. The failed fake keeps the defensive answer visible: coverage can remove the intended receiver and force a different decision. A successful fake and a long field goal do not make every aggressive fourth-down choice worthwhile.
Read the situation
Score, distance, field position and the return or rush look all matter.
Respect the coverage answer
A covered target changes what the holder or punter can do.
Track the next possession
Judge what the decision leaves both teams, not only whether the call looked inventive.
Next film question Compare attempts and declines against the same return or rush look. A season-wide special-teams judgment also needs coverage, returns and ordinary kicks.