Next Opponent: Rams present more difficult challenge than expected

The Steelers are coming off their bye week, looking to correct a lot of the issues that have plagued them through a fortunate 3-2 start to the season. And, what was initially thought to be an easier game on the schedule, this Sunday's matchup with the Rams will test Mike Tomlin's team.

Here's a snapshot of what the Rams bring into Week 7:

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Record: 3-3
Standing: Third, NFC West
Last result: Won over Cardinals, 26-9

THE TREND

The football community had very low expectations for the Rams heading into the 2023 season. Playing in the same division with the loaded 49ers and well-coached Seahawks, it's more than understandable that this Rams team was expected to go nowhere in 2023.

However, the Rams let everyone know right away that they weren't going to be a pushover. Sean McVay had his team ready to go, and his team upset the Seahawks with a 30-13 victory, then played the 49ers tough to the end in a 30-23 loss. 

Overall, the Rams have had a brutal start to their schedule. Outside of matchups with the Colts and Cardinals (both wins), the Rams have had to face the Seahawks, 49ers, Bengals and Eagles -- all playoff teams last season, and three of which considered to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders heading into 2023. Coming out of the first six games with a 3-3 record is no joke.

Sunday's game against the Steelers will wrap up a three-game homestand for the Rams. After that, the Rams' schedule gets much lighter, with the combined record of their remaining opponents totaling 29-28.

THE QUARTERBACK

After missing eight games last season due to injury, Matthew Stafford is back as the leader of the Rams' offense.

The 35-year-old veteran doesn't have the best traditional stat line (61.2% completion percentage, six touchdowns to five interceptions). However, he is far from being "washed up" or anything related to it. Stafford's arm is still hot, and can still throw ridiculous rockets like this without even stepping up in the pocket:

Stafford is also one of the best at the NFL with making game-altering throws while managing risk. According to Pro Football Focus, Stafford leads the NFL with 18 big time throws, which is defined as passes with "excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window." His 7.6% big time throw percentage, compared to his overall pass attempts, is also the highest in the NFL among quarterbacks who have logged at least 50% of 265 dropbacks.

Seriously, Stafford is on an island all to his own in this arena:

X: @benbbaldwin

Stafford is still more than capable of hurting a Steelers defense that has continued to struggle in preventing big plays. 

THE OFFENSE

Of course, Stafford isn't doing everything on his own. The Rams have one of the most dangerous receivers in football in Cooper Kupp. His speed and route running make him a nightmare for any opposing defense, and Kupp is looking more and more like the version of himself that went off for 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021.

Kupp has battled injuries since that monster season that won him the Offensive Player of the Year. An ankle injury cut his 2022 season short, and a hamstring injury during preseason this year cost him four games at the start of this season. In the two games he's played, Kupp has 15 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown, with 11 of those catches moving the chains. He's a major problem.

But, Kupp's injury provided an opportunity for others to step up, and Puka Nacua answered the call in a way nobody saw coming. The 2023 fifth-round selection out of BYU has become a major weapon in the Rams' offensive arsenal. His 50 receptions is tied for the league lead, his 598 receiving yards ranks fourth in the league and he's also added two touchdowns, including this one even after Kupp returned to the lineup:

The Rams aren't exactly a rushing juggernaut, averaging only 108.2 yards per game. But, they finally found a better formula on the ground by moving on from Cam Akers, passing the torch to Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers. Since trading Akers after the second game of the season, the Rams have put up rushing performances of 164 and 179 yards in two of the four games without him. However, both Williams and Rivers recently suffered injuries and could be out this Sunday.

The Rams' offensive line is obviously due credit for protecting Stafford and helping produce some explosive rushing performances. Center Coleman Shelton and rookie guard Steve Avila have anchored the line, along with former Steeler Kevin Dotson, who is PFF's highest-graded guard through the first six weeks of the season. PFF's grading system is certainly questionable, but Dotson's put good performances on tape. Tyler Higbee is a nice complement to the offensive line as a solid blocking tight end that can also be a threat in the passing game.

THE DEFENSE

Everything with the Rams' defense begins and ends with Aaron Donald. Even at age 32, he's still a wrecking ball in the middle of Los Angeles' defense, wreaking havoc on the opposition.

Donald may only have 2.5 sacks so far this season, but he's also recorded 25 tackles and eight tackles for loss (TFL) already. That's a pace for 71 tackles and 23 TFLs, both would be the second-most he's ever put up in a season. He's still so strong and so quick off the line of scrimmage. The Cardinals learned that the hard way with a very, very questionable play call:

Donald, along with Kobie Turner and Jonah Williams, do a good job of defending the run up the middle. However, the Rams aren't as strong on the edge. Byron Young is much better as a pass rusher, and Michael Hoecht is one of the lowest-graded edge rushers in the league. That should play into the Steelers' tendency for running outside zone concepts. The Rams also have struggled with getting to the quarterback. Their 10 teams sacks is tied for third-fewest in the NFL.

Ernest Jones leads the way on the second level of the Rams' defense, and he's a stout run defender. He's already racked up 63 tackles this season, along with eight TFLs and one sack. He's been all over the place. Christian Rozeboom is solid in pass coverage as an off-ball linebacker, but has been a liability this season against the run. Overall, the Rams are allowing 122.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. They are vulnerable on the ground.

Despite the defensive front not getting to the quarterback often enough, the Rams defend the pass pretty well. A key reason for that has been the addition of former Steeler Ahkello Witherspoon, who's now healthy and already racked up five passes defensed and two interceptions. Derion Kendrick is a solid cornerback on the other side of the field, but his recent arrest has clouded his availability for Sunday. Jordan Fuller and Russ Yeast man the safety positions, and neither are highly-graded on PFF, especially in pass coverage. The Steelers might have the opportunity to take advantage of that with a couple deep shots down the middle of the field.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Brett Maher handles placekicking duties for the Rams. He had quite a wild first four years in the league with the Cowboys and Saints. Sometimes he's very accurate and reliable, other times he's been ... just wild -- even on extra points. Austin Trammell handles most of the kick and punt return duties, and will most likely handle all of reps while Williams and Rivers are out with injuries.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Kyren Williams, RB (ankle) -- Williams underwent an MRI on Monday, which revealed a sprained ankle. He's expected to miss Sunday's game, something McVay alluded to while meeting with reporters on Monday. Rivers is typically the backup to Williams, but ...

• Ronnie Rivers, RB (knee) -- Rivers is expected to miss multiple weeks with a PCL injury, and could even be placed on injured reserve this week. With Williams and Rivers both expected to be out Sunday, the Rams' backfield is depleted. Rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans is the only other healthy back currently on the active roster, while journeyman Royce Freeman could be called up from the practice squad.

• Derion Kendrick, CB (personal) -- Kendrick was pulled over before 2 a.m. for a traffic violation, and was subsequently arrested and booked on a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon. McVay addressed the situation Monday, saying the team was still gathering information on the situation. As far as his availability for Sunday, it's still very much a gray area. "Until I have all of the information," McVay said, "it's hard for me to answer anything further with regards to his status, any of those types of things."

• Joe Noteboom, G (groin) -- Noteboom has missed the past two games with a groin injury, but did return to practice leading up to last Sunday's game. Noteboom is the listed starter at right guard ahead of Dotson, so his return would likely put Dotson back on the bench. His participation in practice is something to watch this week.

• Larrell Murchison, DT (knee) -- Murchison missed last week's game, his only missed game this season. He was able to participate in practice two days last week, so he's trending toward a return. He's listed as Donald's backup at defensive tackle.

• Ernest Jones, LB (knee) -- McVay mentioned Jones while talking about "bumps and bruises" from Sunday's game, but also mentioned "pushing through" the injury. His participation, especially in the latter stages of the week, is something to monitor. His absence would be a big blow to the second level of the Rams' defense.

• Kobie Turner, DT (shoulder) -- Another player listed in McVay's "bumps and bruises." It didn't sound like anything serious. Just something to monitor this week.

QUOTABLE

"Ahkello has made a really big impact on this defense through six games, super coachable. He’s obviously got great length in athleticism and I love the way that he lets (defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator) Aubrey (Pleasant) really just kind of challenge him snap in and snap out. I think he's responded really well and I've been really pleased with Ahkello Witherspoon. I love having him on this team." -- Sean McVay on Ahkello Witherspoon

"(McVay) and Mike T. are pretty much polar opposites overall, but they get pretty much the same player feedback when it comes to being a player-coach. When people say player-coach, but they think it's going easy on players. It's more like they can talk to you in a way that gets you pumped up. Mike T., he kind of lives off of a little bit more negativity. He loves to live off that negative energy. But Sean McVay is a little more positive, more like, 'Alright, we got this and we can do this.' ... For Mike T., he knows you can do better, and it's just more of like, 'Man, I got to get it right because he knows I can do it and he shows me the plays that I messed up on. Like, man, I can do this. I don't know why I'm messing up. I need to lock in.' Sean, he's like, 'Man, I can do this. He just showed me a good play I did. I know I can do this.'" -- Kevin Dotson on the differences between playing for Mike Tomlin and Sean McVay

“Yeah, I think those and the jet motions, they're all variations of fast motions that are going lateral as opposed to being able to attack the line of scrimmage because of the way that our game is officiated. It does establish a certain amount of momentum that's probably the closest thing to that. There's nothing quite like a full speed towards the line of scrimmage sprint motion that those guys can do. It really creates some leverage and some momentum for you.” -- Sean McVay on using "cheat" motions on offense