The Los Angeles Rams‘ special season came to a stunning end in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night, losing Round 3 of their series with the Seattle Seahawks, 31-27. It was yet another heartbreaking loss for Sean McVay’s squad, but the simple fact of the matter is they did not play well enough to beat arguably the best team in the league.
The offense couldn’t get into the end zone late in the fourth quarter, and the defense couldn’t get the stops it needed throughout the night. And we already know the costly mistake made by L.A.’s special teams unit.
Pro Football Focus put this performance into perspective by grading every player in the game. Here are the most notable on each side of the ball (min. 10 snaps).
Top 5 offense
- WR Puka Nacua: 91.5
- WR Davante Adams: 83.1
- QB Matthew Stafford: 81.1
- RB Blake Corum: 72.1
- TE Colby Parkinson: 72.0
It’s appropriate that the Rams’ top three offensive players all year were their three highest-graded players on Sunday. Nacua was sensational again, catching nine passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. Adams put up 89 yards and a touchdown on just four catches, while Stafford diced up the Seahawks defense for the second time with 374 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions; PFF credited him with five big-time throws and two turnover-worthy plays.
Corum was slippery in the backfield, rushing for 55 yards on nine carries and catching three passes for 24 yards. Parkinson caught three passes for 62 yards but had a costly drop late in the fourth quarter.
Top 5 defense
- OLB Josaiah Stewart: 81.2
- OLB Desjuan Johnson: 79.7
- OLB Jared Verse: 77.5
- S Kamren Kinchens: 72.3
- CB Roger McCreary: 67.7
The Rams had 22 pressures on the night and eight of them were by Verse; Stewart had two and Johnson had one. Verse managed just three tackles but he was around the quarterback often.
Kinchens didn’t miss any tackles and allowed no receptions, seeing zero passes thrown his way. McCreary allowed two catches for just 14 yards in limited action.
Bottom 5 offense
- RT Warren McClendon Jr.: 55.2
- TE Tyler Higbee: 54.1
- LG Steve Avila: 53.7
- WR Konata Mumpfield: 52.8
- TE Terrance Ferguson: 50.7
McClendon allowed a team-high four pressures in the loss, the only player to allow more than Avila’s three. Higbee was surprisingly not involved much at all, only playing 12 snaps and catching his lone target just before halftime.
Mumpfield and Ferguson were held catchless again on two and one target, respectively.
Bottom 5 defense
- OLB Byron Young: 50.4
- S Kamren Curl: 47.9
- CB Darious Williams: 38.1
- DL Tyler Davis: 30.3
- LB Omar Speights: 29.4
Young was playing at less than 100%, and it showed. He had zero pressures and one missed tackle, losing contain on Kenneth Walker’s touchdown run to start the game.
Curl came back down to earth after a spectacular divisional round, missing one tackle and allowing 52 yards in coverage (two catches).
Williams struggled badly and allowed a team-high 93 yards in coverage, including the 51-yarder to Rashid Shaheed on the opening drive.
Davis didn’t have a tackle, pressure or stop in the game, making little out of his 29 snaps.
Speights was not impactful at all in this one, missing one tackle and taking poor angles to ball carriers throughout the night.
Other notables
- LT Alaric Jackson: 68.3
- RB Kyren Williams: 67.4
- DT Kobie Turner: 65.5
- DB Quentin Lake: 64.5
Jackson gave up just one pressure against the Seahawks’ impressive front and graded out well in the run game (70.3), too.
Williams scored a touchdown but had just 39 yards on 10 carries, forcing two missed tackles.
Turner had three pressures and two tackles but had a run defense grade of just 56.7.
Lake allowed two catches for 27 yards on five targets, giving up one touchdown and breaking up one pass.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: LA Rams PFF grades: Best, worst players in NFC championship