Alvin Kamara battles a Rams defender in last year’s NFC Championship game.
Finally, the New Orleans Saints were able to start off the season on a positive note. They were able to defeat the Houston Texans 30-28 in front of a sold out crowd on Monday Night Football. But the journey is far from over. Their next opponent is a familiar one in the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were able to go into the Mercedes Benz Superdome in January and knocked off the Saints for a trip to the Super Bowl.
The energy of the stadium was sucked dry after the notorious “Nola No-Call” occurred late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game. Today, Saints Discussions list the Saints four keys to victory against the L.A. Rams this Sunday.
1. Neutralize Todd Gurley.
Let’s face it; Todd Gurley is the force behind the Los Angeles Rams offense. He makes all of the other pieces operate smoothly when he can run the football successfully. In week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, Gurley rushed for 97 yards on 14 attempts. The Saints rush defense will have to do a better job of defending the rush in this week’s game against the Rams.
In the opener against the Texans, the team gave up a total of 141 rushing yards. Defensive tackle David Onyemata returns to the line-up after serving his one-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. His presence in the rotation will be a much-needed upgrade for a rush defense that was picked apart in Week 1.
2. Apply Pressure to Jared Goff Relentlessly.
In the victory over the Houston Texans, the Saints pass rush was able to sack quarterback Deshaun Watson on six different occasions. However, was that effort due to Texans having a bad o-line or is it because the Saints will have an elite pass rush for the 2019 season? Either way, they must keep that same energy when facing Jared Goff at the Los Angeles Coliseum this Sunday. It has already been proven that if you apply enough pressure coming off the edge to Goff, he is bound to make a few mistakes.
3. Utilize Alvin Kamara’s Skill Set as a Wide Receiver.
In both matchups against the L.A. Rams, running back Alvin Kamara took advantage of their inability to cover him in an open field. Their deficiencies in those areas still exist based on how Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was utilized against their defense last week. Expect Sean Payton to once again put Alvin Kamara in those situations that will have Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips guessing for the entire football game.
4. The O-line Must Win the Battle Upfront Against Aaron Donald.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was nonexistent when he went up against the Saints offensive line on Monday Night Football. He was successful only once, and that’s due to a holding call on Ryan Ramczyk. The o-line will be challenged with facing another elite player on the defensive line in Aaron Donald. If his efforts to apply pressure up the middle in this contest fall short, then the Saints shall win this game without a shadow of a doubt. These are your Saints four keys to victory against the L.A. Rams this Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
