Los Angeles Rams: What needs to be done to beat the Kansas City Chiefs
By Jason Reed
2. Rely on underneath routes to open up the field
Head coach Sean McVay has been so successful with the Los Angeles Rams in large part due to his offensive mind and his unique play calling. While the Rams are certainly loaded offensively this season, nobody expected the team to be one of the best offensive teams in football last year with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods being the team’s best receivers.
Oh yeah, and he made Jared Goff go from looking like a bust in his first season to looking like the future of the quarterback position in years two and three. He also helped Todd Gurley realize his potential as the best running back in the NFL.
McVay’s genius will be on full display on Monday when coming up against a Kansas City defense that has not been particularly great this year. One area where the Chiefs are really bad in is allowing yards after the catch due to having too much space on the field.
The Chiefs have allowed the second-most yards after catch this season only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a 57.3 rating, the Chiefs are the ninth-worst team in the NFL in tackling, per Pro Football Focus.
It is going to be enticing to go deep to Brandin Cooks on a streak route or hit one of the many options on a deep post. Instead, the Rams must utilize their athleticism and speed at both receiver and running back, go to the underneath stuff and let the athletes open up the field.