The Week 6 Plays That Stood Out: The Rams' Subpar Defense To C.J. Stroud's Heroics

Welcome to The Plays that Stood Out, where we take a deep dive into the moments that shaped the past week of NFL games and try to figure out what they could mean for the teams and players going forward. This week, we’re looking at how the Rams blew a late lead to Arizona, exposing a long-standing problem. We’ll give the Packers defense its flowers after putting Dak Prescott through the wringer on Sunday night. We’ll also break down the small detail that helped the Texans steal a key AFC South game. Alright, now it’s officially time to panic. After Sunday’s shocking loss to the Cardinals, the Rams are last in the NFC West and would need to leapfrog four teams to sneak into the playoffs as the last seed. Forget the whole "super team" thing; at this rate, Los Angeles will have to fight just to make the postseason. The loss to Arizona was especially troubling. Sean McVay said there were no positives to take from the game, and I’m inclined to agree. The offense is getting worse every week, and Matthew Stafford isn’t beating the "washed up" allegations. Even if you want to give McVay and Stafford the benefit of the doubt, the defense still has holes that getting Myles Garrett back on the field won't patch—unless the Rams plan to deploy him at middle linebacker or safety. L.A.’s defense is weak up the spine, and the Cardinals exploited it on the play that essentially won them the game. After a vintage Stafford two-minute drill gave the Rams a late one-point lead, Arizona had 47 seconds to gain about 40 yards and get into field-goal range. Jacoby Brissett needed only one play to do it. A facemask penalty added 15 yards to Jalen Brooks' 21-yard reception, and in an instant, the Cardinals had the ball at the Los Angeles 29-yard line. I don’t want to take anything away from Brissett, who made a great throw to get his team into field goal range, but the defense offered little resistance. Take a look at the wide angle when Brissett hits the back of his drop. With the safeties retreating back like it’s a Hail Mary situation, there is A LOT of air in the coverage. Per Next Gen Stats, there’s a 12.1-yard gap between safety Kam Curl and nickelback Quentin Lake, and a 13.6-yard gap separates Kamren Kinchens and linebacker Nate Landman. That leaves acres of space for Brooks to run into. With Landman’s hips turned toward the right sideline, Brissett can make the throw without worrying about the Rams linebacker making a play on the ball. These soft zone coverages seem to be defensive coordinator Chris Shula's default strategy whenever the Rams need a stop in obvious passing situations. It’s not a bad strategy in a vacuum, but Los Angeles doesn’t have safeties or linebackers who can close those windows quickly enough to make it work. Brooks made what should have been a tough, contested catch with little resistance. These crunch-time defensive breakdowns have become routine for the Rams over the past couple of years, since the team adopted this shell coverage philosophy. Since 2022, they rank dead last in stop rate on "clutch drives," per YUNO Sports. This was the most shocking result of the day, but nobody should have been surprised at how it ended. The takeaway: The Rams can’t bank on Garrett’s return to solve all their issues. General manager Les Snead should be working the phones, asking about linebackers and safeties who can solidify the middle of the defense. With three weeks left before the NFL trade deadline, he still has time to swing a deal or two. And with teams starting to fall out of the playoff race—including the one the Rams share a stadium with—plenty of suitors should be willing to pick up the phone. If Snead can’t find reinforcements, a change in defensive philosophy may be in order. Dak Prescott put up a stinker on Sunday night, but Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon deserves the bulk of the credit for crossing his wires all night. Prescott is one of the NFL’s sharpest quarterbacks before and after the snap, but Gannon threw some looks at him that would have left Tom Brady and Peyton Manning scratching their heads. The red-zone interception early in the second quarter was the shining example and set the tone for the rest of the evening. Green Bay starts with seven defenders crowding the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys run a "levels" concept that looks promising before the snap. With only two defenders over three receivers, it looks like CeeDee Lamb will have to beat the deep safety inside to get open for the touchdown. Evan Williams, the other safety, is on the line to the offense’s left, so he surely wouldn’t be tasked with helping on Lamb’s route, right? Welp, that’s exactly what Gannon asked him to do. That’s a diabolical defensive call. Prescott sees Williams bail at the snap and assumes the Packers are playing Cover 2, with the safety dropping to the deep half. That would have left the deep middle vacant for Lamb's route. But the Packers are playing a form of "Quarters" where the backside safety will "poach" any deep over route by the No. 3 receiver (Lamb in this case), leaving the cornerback on that side locked in one-on-one coverage. These "poach" coverages are becoming more common, but you rarely see them run out of that kind of pre-snap look. Gannon threw a nasty curveball at Prescott. The takeaway: I dismissed the Packers as a playoff contender after that ugly Thursday night showing against the Falcons, but I’m willing to take the L on that opinion. Jordan Love is playing his way into the MVP conversation, and Gannon has the defense punching well above its weight thanks to his X’s and O’s. With Micah Parsons back in a few weeks, the unit could reach another level down the stretch. C.J. Stroud has had to drag the Texans offense to competence all season, but on at least one play on Sunday, his job was pretty darn easy. Fortunately for Houston, it was the play that won the game: Woody Marks’ 19-yard catch-and-run that got the Texans into range for Ka'imi Fairbairn’s game-winning kick. No Jaguars defender was within five yards of Marks, and while it’s easy to blame crappy defense, I’m giving most of the credit to the Texans. Specifically, Marks, whose little jab step at the start of the play created the confusion that left him wide open. The Jaguars were playing a specific form of man coverage where the two linebackers worked in tandem to cover the running back. If Marks goes right, the linebacker to that side picks him up in man coverage; if he goes left, the linebacker to that side takes him. Marks ends up going right, leaving Foyesade Oluokun responsible for the coverage. But the former Yale Bulldog processes the play too quickly. He sees Marks take his first step left and shifts his eyes to his next key. By the time Marks takes his first step to the right, Oluokun is looking the other way. You can see Branson Combs pass Marks off to Oluokun, but he’s already got his eyes on Jaylin Noel. Combs realizes what’s going on, but Houston’s play design creates too much traffic for him to navigate, leaving Marks wide open in the flat. It’s easier to parse through everything frame by frame, but watching it in real time shows how quickly NFL defenders have to process information. One little slip-up can cost you a game. The takeaway: I’m still holding onto my Texans stock after their woeful start to the season, and I suggest you do the same. Stroud is playing the best football of his career, and he is finally getting some help. Wide receiver Nico Collins’ return from injury has given him a go-to guy in obvious passing situations, and second-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley is showing promise as a play-caller after an up-and-down 2025 campaign. Caley still needs to figure out the run game, but he’s giving Stroud answers against whatever defenses throw at him. The play that sprung Marks open was just the latest example. If head coach Demeco Ryans’ defense holds up, the Texans will climb back into the AFC South race. 1. The Ravens offense is predictably struggling without Lamar Jackson, but I’ve still been impressed with Declan Doyle’s creativity. Even in the low-scoring loss to Cleveland, the first-year offensive coordinator impressed with two wildly creative calls. This red-zone formation shift left the Browns defense scrambling. Doyle wasn’t finished. Later in the game, the Ravens ran a play I have never seen before. Doyle had tight end Josh Cuevas line up at left guard. Cuevas was an eligible receiver, but the Browns didn’t have time to sort out their assignments, leaving him wide open for a big gain. 2. Not to be outdone by his former assistant Doyle, Ben Johnson broke out the strangest pre-snap motion I’ve ever seen. Tackle Theo Benedet did jumping jacks as he shifted to the other side of the formation, then Caleb Williams ran a successful QB sneak. Johnson also had receiver Zavion Thomas run a jet motion to add another layer of distraction. This is the type of play you’d draw up on the playground in grade school, but you can’t argue with the result. 3. I don’t have words to describe what Josh Allen did on this third-quarter touchdown pass in Buffalo’s win in Las Vegas on Sunday, so let's just watch the clip. This is why the Bills coaching staff puts up with Allen’s silly mistakes and the "arm punts." His creativity is a net positive for the offense. As long as he keeps pulling plays like this out of his you-know-what, defenses will have to respect it, which makes it easier for his teammates. Look at how much attention Allen commands once he goes into scramble mode.