Saints-Rams Week 16 TNF Recap

a Saints team that continues to fade. It's the Around the NFL Thursday Night Recap, and tonight's episode is presented by Uber Eats, where you can get almost almost anything. Uber Eats is the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Get your orders in Dan Hans's here with

Mark Sessler and Mark again the Rams. They're not a perfect team, special teams, sneaky disaster and I kind of think when their season ends, whatever it is, whether it's regular season or playoffs, probably some type of special team's gaff that gets them, But there are so many other aspects of this team that are intriguing, and right now, it's that offense with Stafford, Puka Cup, Kyron Williams that really makes them dangerous no matter who they play.

he's so productive in this passing game. With Matthew Stafford playing the way that he is, I mean, it's kind

of like a crazy box score to look at. They only completed He only completed passes to four different guys, but they were each so critical and like DeMarcus Robinson, you know, having really one of the games of his life six catches for eighty two yards, anchored them in the first half, and I just I think, you know, the defense which is still outside of Aaron done a lot of like newer faces and unknown players to the

casual fan. They really like they put the Saints into a tough spot out of the gate because cars blown up on the first two possessions on a third and fourth down sack and I think those failed down fourth downs Dan four Carr and the Saints were really a critical in this because they had a fourth and five pass right before the half incomplete, and the Rams go

right down withinside of a minute. They go right down the field and score and make it seventeen to seven when the Saints were hanging around and another field fourth down later. They're oh for three on fourth downs tonight, and on the season they're oer for seven on fourth downs with fourth and five or more to go. So it's execution, it's coaching. It's weird decisions where the Rams to me are heating up, and it's like, I don't

care where they land in this wild card race. As they get there, they're going to be a strange and tough opponent to deal with.

real chance to win that game. I actually look at the Rams and I think they could hang with pretty much any team now going to San Francisco in the NFC. Okay, that that might be a tall order, but they just the way they play, in the way they're coach and you know, we've been talking about it, you could this is not that this is the sexiest conversation, but when you talk about coach of the year, this is a really good coach of the year year.

them too. And he and the fact that their expectations around this team were so low entering the year and they're playing at such a high level and they have entering even even if things don't work out here Mark for this team down the stretch and they have AT Giants and AT Niners to close, and we don't know what version of the Niners we get because we don't know if they'll need the game even if things didn't work out. This is a team that finally gets first

round pickback. They have a lot of cap space. All of a sudden, the Rams are looking dangerous, but some of it, so much of it is predicated on Stafford, who you know, he had so many big time throws in this game. I love Stafford. I think we all do. On atn he has that sidear motion on a couple of those. He's just he's a wizard the way he throws the ball. And I just think as long as he stays upright, they're going to continue to win games. So,

you know, are they the Cinderella team. It feels like Mark, if there is a Cinderella team, and I kind of like not to jinkson, but your brownies, there's another exciting AFC wild card type team who's gonna go crazy in the playoffs and shock people Like the Rams. They can be that team. They just got to close out this regular season.

back in a time machine. And you're right. I mean I thought on display tonight was that one sidearm throw to DeMarcus Robinson and they missed a field goal on that drive, But it was just like, Okay, not that many quarterbacks can make that throw and to have like the wide receiver talent that he does right now, it's just they feel like a team they've scored thirty plus

and four or five games. I'm with you that McVeigh really fits the essence of what coach of the Year is Raheem Morris does as assistant coach.

a hot quarter. But there's too much imbalance on that roster, because while the Rams are getting Karen Williams, you know, eating up the clock down the stretch and bringing so much balance and opening up the passing game because of what he can do on the ground, you're getting like the worst version of Alvin Kamara tonight. Not nineteen yards at two point one yards per carry. They were low

on the ground. They' running for thirty five yards. And then you got Car under duress early in the game, when I thought it set the tone that they were forced to make tough decisions on third and fourth down and couldn't execute outside of a couple of big deep throws. The score in the end feels not fraudulent, but it's a little It doesn't guide you to what this game is really about, which was the stammering.

were non competitive, could not run the football. You mentioned Kamara struggles. They ran sixteen for thirty five yards in this game, two point two yards per carry. Non competitive. The defense was just as bad. The Rams kind of were scoring at will while the game was before the game kind of got out of hand. I think they had maybe one punt late in the third quarter Los Angeles. So the defense of New Orleans, which as I've said, I said earlier this week, has been very topsy turvy

this season. They've had big weeks, they've had shutout weeks, but they've all said plenty of weeks like this where I think they gave up close to four hundred and fifty yards in this game. And you know, Mark, you know I'm by the by any matter trick. I guess I'm a Derek Carr defender. But this game, I can even say, like, this is why Derek Carr drives people nuts, because you want you want to point to him and say he stinks, and you want the smoking gun with

the stats to back it up. But he's the king of this. Like he did not play a good game here, not certainly, not when it mattered. But when they pile up those fifteen points in the fourth quarter on a drive, block punt, quick touchdown, two point conversion, all of a sudden, the statline finishes twenty seven to forty three to nineteen eight yards per attempt and three touchdowns and one pick and a passer rating over one hundred and five. That's

super annoying. And it is another reminder just not to judge a player based on stats, because he is even as a defender of Car, he's a compiler. And those last two drives really kind of made this game look a lot more competitive than it truly was. And you know, as someone, oh, I locked this one up, by the way, nothing better, whew, nothing out of the way. Is there anything better than a Thursday night football lock the whole world?

interesting and prefable for some. But they got the first down they needed the Rams after that second Sants score after of course, Pooka and Akua recovers the onside kick, because of course Pooka Akua had to recover the onside kick. Because Pooka and Akua, It's almost as if Mark is great as he's been, and he has gotten plenty of press. It's not like nobody knows what's going on with pookin Akua. I think maybe a game like this brings into focus

that he's having a truly historically great rookie year. This is, I believe, a fifth round pick who finishes this game with nine catches for one hundred and sixty four yards and a touchdown on eleven targets make it all sorts of tough catches, making DB's look foolish, And they flashed up a stat that I thought, really it was put in perspective what he's been doing this year. In the time that you and I have been working for NFL media, I don't think anybody has ever exploded on the scene.

Odell Beckham when he was a rookie with the Giants, a first round pick in twenty thirteen, he gets he hurts his leg in training camp. It's a hamstring injury, and he's out the first four weeks. He joins the Giants and immediately is the best wide receiver in football and tonight Pokinakua and that included you know, the one handed catch against Dallas on Sunday Night Football. It was one of the great debuts in the history of the sport.

Was Odell's rookie season. Nikoua has now tied Odell Beckham for one hundred and forty plus yard games as a rookie. He's got four of them already this season. So you know, offensive Rookie of the Year is certainly if you give it to him. I know CJ. Stroud's the favorite, although the injury clouds it. But Nikouah's mergence has been just an incredibly important part of this Rams rise.

like they could have poured on more points. But like pokin Akua came close to having them even more of a monster evening to add a cherry on top to what I would have no problem with him being offensive Rookie of the Year if we didn't see Stroud return again, if Stroud's lost for you know, a big chunk of games, which is a possibility, then there's a real argument for it, and it's like, I think part of it is like again, these are It's not that it's narrative driven, because he's

just literally a great player. He doesn't look to me. It's like he and Odell Beckham are different players. But it's like he is, I think for some reason to me and tell me if you you agree. When I watch him on the field, he looks They keep saying he's six too and two hundred plus. He doesn't look that. He doesn't look big to me on the field, but he but with each catch and catch and run and tackle,

shedding exploit, it's like he is. His strength does show in the type of play that he plays, and I think he's such a perfect fit for the Rams offense. And it's like he's just getting better and this whole offense is getting better. And I don't know, I'm looking at a team that could easily have scored forty points to night if a few things went a little differently.

But one hundred and forty seven in the last two games to break the single season rookie receiving yards record, which is fourteen seventy three is that Odell? Does Odell have the record? Well, he missed four games, so it's probably not Odell. Let us know who that is, Akwon Bolden. That's a good trivia question. Bolden had that monster rookie year with the Cardinals once upon a time. Anything else from this game jump out to you. Mark.

the playoffs according to ESPN Analytics and Stafford. Since he came back from the thumb injury in week eleven, the Rams have scored at least twenty eight points in five straight games. So not only is this a team on the rise, with a really bright future and plenty of assets and money to get better in the offseason. Sean

McVay has re established himself. Even think where we were this time last year, mark where McVeigh as the season went, you know, as as regular season came to the close, there was this idea that he was going to walk away. He'd even told his assistance, Hey, don't wait for me, go look for other jobs. And then at some point he had some type of come to Jesus moment and decided to come back to LA And at that point

I wouldn't say that mcveigh's starr had dimmed. Obviously, he had won the Super Bowl the previous year, but you kind of understood why maybe he was looking at take a break. He was a young guy. The Rams seemed like they were going into a down cycle. But this is just proof that in the NFL, you just got to hit on a couple draft picks as they have, and hit on a couple of personnel moves as they have. Cooper Cupp was a mid round pick, Stafford was a

savvy trade, nikoua fifth round pick, Kyron Williams. These guys were not expected to be stars. They've all kind of stepped up and the defense, and you're right, you obviously have to give credit to the DC on this because they have put together a defense that is competitive week after week, that is very young and outside Donald and a couple other players inexperience, So very good time for the Rams right now. Yep.

And I think he thought he was walking around the building last season burning everyone else else else out too, And I think this is such a different experience, and like, you know, it is like also like less sneeds creation because they've kind of shifted the philosophy of who they are because I think it's we're back to the world of draft picks back to the world of like drafting a lot of guys, drafting, taking undrafted guys on the side, like forming the kind of Rams team that you want.

do it too? And here we are, and like they're better than the Seahawks, the kind of team that could probably knock off a surprising Lions team in the playoffs, like you talked about. So it's like, it's kind of an interesting time to be a Rams fan. It's so different than where we were two years ago.

six sacks. So you know this isn't just aaron' donell. And you know everything is taped together with spitting bubblegum. This is a team that's that's really figuring things out. And I mentioned the last thing here. I mentioned the special teams is an issue for the Rams. Remember they got that overtime loss. They're only lost in seven games. Is a punt return for a touchdown? This loop? You know we have the kicker club. What's the opposite of a kicker club? I don't know a kicker, well, a

ghetto a kicker. I don't know something bad like a like.

what's gonna get them. They're gonna have a big, fun, competitive, back and forth playoff game because I do think they're gonna be a playoff team and that will get them. But you know, we'll see Big Funk chimes in with Kicker Roadhouse and that just makes me think of the Patrick Swayzee moving. I think that place is awesome.

on the Angels for the past like five years. Like they're the Los Angeles Angels, and that I mean, don't tell rank because I love Rank, but like that's pretty like sand indictment of where the Angels are within the the greater sphere of sports here in Los Angeles, although they are if you don't if you know the area, the Angels are like the Orange County team, and it is that it is a Dodgers town here in this

area of the city or state, I should say. But anyway, never mind that Greg took his kids to the game. He saw Tani. His wife probably you know, was thinking about greg Or Otani. Where should I go? I don't know. We'll get back to you mission anyway. But he did give us a report from the game. Maybe he'll talk about Otani.

It's like you're you're getting you're looking for any morselivan information pre internet, right, and they'd take They had like that six hour long show where they'd go to beat reporters at the stadiums for like three or four, you know,

thirty forty seconds each. You could barely hear them. But that Greg report had that essence in that feel where it's like, this guy is trying to get his message across to us clearly with about eighty thousand people behind him, going absolutely bonkers with about six beers in the meach.

And that's It's an important part of the show. It's maybe a smaller part of the show, but equally important and gets us closer to the game, which I think makes the show better. And I think even Greg would agree, whatever makes the show better is probably the way we should be doing this.