Los Angeles Rams: There are two standouts from preseason week 1

The Los Angeles Rams did not have the best showing in the preseason game of the year. However, there were some good standouts from week 1.

The Los Angeles Rams were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens in the first preseason game of the year, 33-7.

To be fair, the Ravens have already played a preseason game, as the team was part of the Hall of Fame Game, and has been exceptionally good in the preseason the last several years. Baltimore has won 10 straight preseason games.

Plus, the team has the electric Lamar Jackson taking most of the sacks while the Los Angeles Rams fielded practically the entire third and fourth unit. While one player is not a huge difference, one great playmaking quarterback like Jackson will make the game get out of hand fast.

This does not mean that is was all bad for the Rams, though. These preseason games are all about individual performances and deciding roster spots. While this one game will not decide a roster spot, it does give us a great glimpse into what is to come.

Here are the two standouts from Thursday night and what we learned from their performances.

1. Ethan Westbrooks, Defensive End

Ethan Westbrooks may not be a household name yet but he had an impact on the Los Angeles Rams defensive line last season. Westbrooks tied his career mark up to last season by recording four sacks on the year.

While that is not the most productive season by any means, it was enough to put Westbrooks on the map.

The Los Angeles Rams look great on the interior part of the offensive line but are needing some good edge rushers alongside Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. If Westbrooks continues to thrive, he could make the Rams even better on the defensive line.

If Week 1 was any indication, Westbrooks may have a bigger impact on defense than we all expected. While it was not against the kind of opposition he will face in the year, Westbrooks two sacks in week 1 are extremely promising.

2. John Kelly, Running back

We have been hyping John Kelly up since the Los Angeles Rams drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. While Todd Gurley is still the man taking most of the snaps, Kelly could really blossom into a quality backup that could be a huge playmaker for the Rams.

Kelly was the most productive person on a pretty slow offense. Kelly rushed the ball 13 times for 77 yards to go along with 14 receiving yards.

Even better, at least for Kelly’s chances to become the backup, current backup Malcolm Brown only picked up one rushing yard over three attempts.