Matthew Stafford just became the 10th quarterback in league history to pass for 60,000 yards. He was the highest-graded quarterback in the NFL last week, answering questions about his back with the size of the chip on his shoulder.
His opponent on Sunday will be making his home debut after going 12-for-28 for 112 yards on the road against an elite Denver defense that sacked him six times.
Like Stafford, Cam Ward was selected with the first overall pick, and he's attempting to elevate a Tennessee Titans offense that finished 31st in offensive efficiency last season.
Now the Rams arrive on his doorstep with a ferocious pass rush that dropped Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud three times and pressured him on 41 percent of his dropbacks.
Music City better brace itself for this second verse.
Half Truths
Beware Week 1 in the NFL! Year after year, opening day results lie, mislead, and drive overreaction.
Remember this time last year, the Saints were going to lead the league in scoring, Jayden Daniels was going to need some time to acclimate to professional football, and Jake Moody was going to be an All-Pro kicker.
On a new Between the Horns, we discussed what conclusions to take away from the Rams win over the Texans and what to leave behind.
Warding off the Rookie
One of the heroes of the home opener stopped by Rams Revealed this week. And I asked linebacker Nate Landman how he'll go about preparing for a Titans quarterback with only one game of NFL film.
"I think we treat it like we treated last week with the Texans, where we're going off minimal preseason tape, and you watch what they did last year a little bit," the NFC Defensive Player of the Week said. "Obviously he's a tremendous talent being the first overall pick, got a strong arm, smart kid. But you still don't have that NFL experience, you know, so try to keep him on his toes, show him multiple looks, and find other ways we can get him uncomfortable."
It is pronounced "Land-min," by the way. However, if you want to emphasize "Land MAN," he's good with it. For more on the new captain in the middle of the Rams defense, check out this Landman profile.
Rams Reunion
There are some all-time LA favorites spending this season in Nashville. The list of former Rams currently with the Titans includes special teams coach Bones Fassel, punter Johnny Hekker, receiver Van Jefferson, defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, and backup quarterback Brandon Allen.
It will be great to see them, and of course we're glad to see them extend their careers. However, I mention all of this for one specific reason: WATCH THE FAKE.
If you don't think the Titans are up to something this week, then you don't know Bones and Johnny.
Notes of Note
Ward had the most dazzling 112-yard passing performance in league history, if you follow the tape dogs who broke down every snap. And the film does give evidence to his guts and derring-do. Against a ferocious Denver defense, his running game and targets didn't help. Ward only completed 1 of 12 passes beyond 10 yards, however three of those were drops, and his leading pass-catcher Calvin Ridley was the biggest culprit.
Conversely, Next Gen Stats had Stafford going 7-for-9 for 156 passing yards, including his touchdown toss to Davis Allen, with a 155.8 passer rating on downfield passes versus the Texans.
The Titans are one of the two teams Stafford has not defeated in his career. He's 0-4 against them, including a disastrous loss at home in 2021 – part of the "No Win November" that preceded the Super Bowl run. Pittsburgh (Stafford 0-3) is the other opponent, and the Steelers are on the 2027 road schedule, for what it's worth.
The two worst pass protection grades of Week 1 went to…drum roll, please… the Titans and Rams. Ward faced the highest pressure rate in the NFL in his pro debut. Sunday, he'll become the first rookie signal-caller in over a decade to start consecutive games against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Denver corner Patrick Surtain) and Defensive Rookie of the Year (Jared Verse).
Penalties played a leading role in Week 1. The Titans spent all offseason trying to fix their self-inflicted mistakes but were flagged 13 times for 131 yards – more penalty yardage than last season's team suffered in any game. As for the Rams, they had it better than Houston, but seven infractions accepted for 60 yards still felt like too many, especially considering the 100-plus yards Jordan Whittington had wiped away by flags.
Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was on a pitch count in Denver, as he works his way back from last fall's quadricep injury. Interestingly, he's had as much success as any defensive back in the league against Adams. Per NFL Research, the 28-year-old has been targeted 18 times as the nearest defender in coverage versus Adams since 2020, allowing a 44.0 passer rating on those targets.
And lastly, Week 1 had the highest kick return rate of any week since 2010 (75.6 percent), up over 32 percent from last season. The Rams and Joshua Karty were a driving force in the uptick. Two of his kickoffs made it to the landing zone and then the end zone for touchbacks, meaning the Texans started at their 20 (instead of the 35). A third was returned by Houston, but only to the 23-yard line. This is a critical development and a leading reason why the Rams only surrendered nine points and zero touchdowns.
Watching the West
My caution last week was if San Francisco was able to squeeze a win out of Seattle, the 49ers would be set up for success in 2025. Well, they did and they are…unless the injuries mount. Next, the Niners (1-0) go to New Orleans (0-1) to face what is expected to be one of the league's worst teams. However, they'll do so without the best tight end in the league and their starting quarterback, as well.
Arizona (1-0) just beat those Saints 20-13 with a promising start to year two of the Kyler Murray - Marvin Harrison Jr. partnership. Next, the Cardinals are home to Carolina (0-1).
Meantime, Seattle has an enigma to solve – the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers – if they hope to avoid an 0-2 start in Pittsburgh. This could also be labeled the D.K. Metcalf revenge game. He turned four receptions into 83 yards in his Steelers debut.
And since we did it last week, we'll include the Atlanta Falcons again as former and honorary members of the division. After seeing Tampa Bay escape their grasp in Week 1, now the Falcons travel to Minnesota on Sunday – so it's a duel of our Super Bowl coordinators, Raheem Morris versus Kevin O'Connell.
Coming off their big win at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams get ready to face off against the Tennessee Titans. Browse through photos of Sean McVay motivating the team as well as Rams players training for Sunday's game.
