Emmanuel Forbes Jr. was overtaken by Cobie Durant as the top cornerback, while Jordan Whittington’s playing time hits a season-high.
The Los Angeles Rams knocked off the previously unbeaten Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a narrow 27-20 victory at home, improving their record to 3-1 on the year. The Colts didn’t make things easy and even led by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Rams scored on their final two drives to erase the deficit and win by seven.
Injuries have forced the Rams to tweak things on offense and defense, and those adjustments continued in Sunday’s win over Indianapolis. Justin Dedich surprisingly got the start at left guard despite Steve Avila being active, while Emmanuel Forbes Jr. played his fewest snaps all season in what appeared to be a demotion for the starting cornerback.
And even though Tutu Atwell made the biggest play of the game with his 88-yard go-ahead touchdown, his snaps continue to decrease.
Let’s take a look at the playtime breakdown on each side of the ball from Week 4.
Offense
Jordan Whittington established as WR3: Whittington played a season-high 80% of the offensive snaps on Sunday, which is a clear indication that he’s firmly entrenched as the No. 3 receiver for the Rams. Atwell’s 28% snap share was his lowest of the season, as his playing time has declined in each of the last two games.
Kyren Williams sees lowest snap share since 2023: Williams played just 68% of the snaps on Sunday, his lowest share since the 2023 season. He did play 70.5% in Week 2 but in this game, he also had a season-low 13 attempts; he’s had just one game with fewer rushes since Week 4 of the 2023 season. The Rams clearly want to keep him fresh by giving Blake Corum more work (nine carries), but Williams remains the RB1.
Still a TE committee: With Terrance Ferguson a healthy scratch again, the Rams leaned on Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson. It remains a committee at that position, with Higbee playing 55%, Allen 29% and Parkinson 28% in the win over the Colts. There simply doesn’t seem to be much room for Ferguson, even with the tight ends barely producing as receivers.
Defense
Cobie Durant takes over CB1 spot: Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had been the top cornerback with Ahkello Witherspoon out and he was the starter in each of the first four games but he played just 61% of the snaps on Sunday, his lowest of the season. Durant, on the other hand, played 77% for the second week in a row, climbing the depth chart as the team’s top cornerback. Forbes struggled in this one, allowing a long catch to Adonai Mitchell and a touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr., so perhaps the Rams reduced his playing time as a result.
Braden Fiske getting closer to full strength: Fiske had been dealing with an oblique injury that limited his playing time in the last two weeks but he was closer to his normal role with a 52% snap share on Sunday. Tyler Davis remains a big part of the rotation but it’s good to see Fiske inching closer to 100% health, if he’s not there already.
Josaiah Stewart earning more opportunities: The Rams love their rookie Stewart and he continues to see plenty of opportunities on defense, playing 34% of the snaps on Sunday. Regardless of whether Jared Verse and Byron Young are healthy, he’s earning valuable playing time as the No. 3 edge rusher, which is great to see from the rookie.
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