How Las Vegas Raiders’ defense had no answer for Los Angeles Rams’ 13 personnel in Week 7 loss
The Rams’ game plan was simple, the Raiders defense just couldn’t stop it.
The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 7 matchup, employing a 13 personnel strategy that significantly overwhelmed the Raiders' defense. This approach, which featured one running back and three tight ends, accounted for 50 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps, a 41.17 percent increase over the NFL average.
Despite quarterback Matthew Stafford's modest passing performance, the running game proved to be the primary threat, rushing for 111 yards and achieving a 64 percent success rate and 0.24 EPA per rush in 13 personnel looks. Las Vegas' defense, under coordinator Rob Leonard, attempted to counter with more base personnel on 61.8 percent of their plays, but it ultimately proved ineffective.
Leonard's team allowed a minuscule 0.125 EPA per play on 33 rushes with seven front seven defenders against the Rams' three-tight end sets. The strategy worked because Las Vegas' defensive coordinator consistently put an extra linebacker on the line of scrimmage, creating an unfavorable matchup for the Raiders' receivers. This approach, which the Patriots and Buffalo Bills had success with as well, easily exploited the Raiders' defensive scheme, leading to an easy victory for the Rams.
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