The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) are in search of a fourth-straight win this Sunday as they travel to face the New York Jets (4-10) at Metlife Stadium. Despite the Rams being a strong favorite, there are key pieces on both sides that will have a major impact on the result of this very important game.
In this episode of the Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast, Rams on SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh takes a look at a few of the biggest weapons that the Rams possess along with the most dangerous weapons that they will be facing in hopes of continuing to apply pressure in the NFC West:
The forecasted temperature on Sunday in New Jersey is anywhere from 16 to 24 degrees farenheit and the Rams will be a bit uncomfortable early in the game. They will continue to lean on their trusted star running back Kyren Williams who has been nothing short of sensational the past few weeks.
Williams has rushed for over 100 yards in two of his last three games with three combined touchdown scores. He also carried the ball 29 times in each of the past two weeks, coming through in a big way against both the Bills and 49ers in must-win games.
If the Rams struggle offensively through the passing game early on due to the frigid temps, Williams will be asked to carry a large majority of the offensive load. He will have zero problem establishing a run game as the Jets are not the greatest run defense team in the league.
If the pass game is flourishing, there are always two stars that can always be trusted to get the job done. Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and second-year wide receiver Puka Nacua have been unstoppable almost every week and they have really turned it on recently.
Nacua has recorded over 100 yards receiving in three of his past five games with three receiving touchdowns and one rushing. There have not been many pass catchers performing at Nacua's level right now and his production is an incredible thing to watch on a weekly basis.
In that same five-game span, Stafford has thrown 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions, cutting up defensive secondaries like a hot knife on butter. Even with a quiet week against the 49ers, he failed to turn the ball over once again and has been one of the most trusted players on the team.
It will be interesting to see what matchups the Jets scheme up, but it would be okay to assume to former Defensive Rookie of the Year cornerback Sauce Gardner will be lining up across from Nacua for a majority of the contest. He poses a major threat for the success of the Rams offense.
Gardner earned his first interception of the season last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11), but has continued to perform at a high clip, playing in 13 of the team's 14 games so far this season. Gardner is a quick, sticky cornerback that will make it as difficult as possible on Nacua to succeed.
The most glaring issue that the Rams could run into is how their opposing quarterback this week finds a way to dice them up like he did the Jaguars last week. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been fairly impressive this season, but his team's ability to win games has not followed.
Rodgers is coming off a 289 passing yard, three touchdown performance against the Jaguars last week and has recorded 23 touchdowns to just eight interceptions this year. The 20-year veteran thrives in the cold weather and will be ready to sling the rock for all four quarters on Sunday.
The scary thing for the Rams defense is Rodgers' ability to delay plays and continue to work through progressions to find the open receiver. The Rams must create pressure on Rodgers and keep him in the pocket so the Jets' very talented receivers will be unable to get open on broken plays.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast: Biggest Weapons, Biggest Threats vs. Jets.