The saying “all good things must come to an end” was never truer on Monday, the day before the deadline, when Hall of Fame likely LB Von Miller was dealt by the only team he ever knew, the Denver Broncos, to the Los Angeles Rams for draft picks. Let us dive into the true parameters of this deal, what it means to both organizations, and who got the better end of the trade.

Trade Details

Like most Ram trades lately, they will be giving up a couple of draft picks in next year’s draft, which is similar to the Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford trades. QB Jared Goff was the only notable player traded between those two deals, with the rest being draft picks or financial compensation. The Rams will only receiver Miller in the deal, while the Broncos will be getting two second-day draft picks, more specifically a second rounder and a third rounder from Los Angeles. On the financial side of it, the Rams will only have to pay 700K of Miller’s remaining salary. The other $9M will be paid by the Broncos.

Denver Broncos

Before we get to the player part of the deal, let us all acknowledge that the Broncos did very well in this deal. Even though they are 4-4, Denver does not look like a team that is going to be in the playoff mix by the end of the season, so trading Miller, who was probably going to leave in the offseason anyway, makes sense. Paying his salary this year helped the Broncos get two quality draft picks, which can be used as they start to retool their roster with younger talent. On the emotional side of it, it is a bittersweet day for both the Broncos, as well as for Miller. Miller is the franchise leader in sacks with 110.5, while also helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. He forced two fumbles and recorded 2.5 sacks on his way to Super Bowl MVP that year. Emotions aside though, the deal needed to be made and was a good one for Denver.

Los Angeles Rams

As the Rams have proved in the past, they are in it to win it and are doing whatever it takes to win the Super Bowl as soon as this year. The Rams went truly all in when they made the blockbuster trade for QB Matthew Stafford, who looks like an MVP candidate right now and has been worth every draft pick they gave up. With this deal, Miller will not be asked to do what Stafford has done but can be a valuable rotational piece with playoff experience. Even though Miller is not the player he once was, he is still dangerous and with guys like Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd around him, he can be even more effective. The Rams window to win the Super Bowl is open and adding Miller has only helped that case.

Who Won the Deal?

Like most deals that include draft picks, it is tough to tell who wins a deal. It is easy to say both sides won the deal, but for now, I would say the Rams won the deal. The Broncos did well with their draft picks and put themselves in a good position to regroup and retool as an organization fast, but the Rams were already Super Bowl contenders and just made those chances even better. Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, so if they can get that done, they easily win the trade.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Trade details from cbssports.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

Last week, the Detroit Lions announced that they would be parting ways with franchise QB Matthew Stafford. Fast-forward a week, and Stafford has now found a new home after he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a mega-deal. Let us dive into both sides of the trade and ultimately see who truly won this trade. (Please note that the trade isn’t official until the new league year starts).

Trade Details

In this mega-trade, the only asset that the Rams received in this trade was Stafford, while the Lions, on the other hand, received a haul of picks along with QB Jared Goff =on their end of the trade. Besides Goff, Detroit received first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-round pick in 2021, putting them in a full rebuild mode. 

Los Angeles Rams

When the news broke, it was a bit of a shock that the Rams pulled this trigger, especially with the lack of draft capital they already had, plus the fact that they have made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. Despite this, head coach Sean McVay and QB Jared Goff reportedly had a relationship that was “strained” due to Goff’s lack of productivity on the field, specifically getting them over the hump. With this trade, it’s win or go home for the Rams. They will not have a first-round pick for the next several years, along with not having one since 2016 anyway. All that for a quarterback with two years of control as of right now. If the Rams win the Super Bowl, this trade would be a massive success. If not, the Rams would be in danger of a severe collapse.

Detroit Lions

The Lions have been fighting the battle of finding Matthew Stafford some help to win for numerous years now and it was finally time for them to go move on and move into different directions. While losing Stafford hurts because of his meaning to the franchise, the Lions can now declare themselves as a team that is in full rebuild mode. Getting Goff gets them at least a bridge quarterback for now, but that does not mean the Lions do not look at that position in this year’s draft with the draft capital they now have. If the Lions can draft the right guys, this trade will be a massive success for them in the future.

Who Won this Trade?

When trades occur, it is natural to react to see who “won” the trade. In this case, the future will truly tell who won this trade. As of right now, the Lions are the big winners in this trade. They finally hit the reset button and have now established who they will be in 2021. As for the Rams, this trade is super risky and can backfire if they do not win the Super Bowl. It may put themselves in the position that the Houston Texans are in right now with no draft picks in the near future. The Lions won this trade right now, but if the Rams win the Super Bowl, they would be clear winners in this trade and can live with the future being unknown.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

Rams Shut Down New England on TNF to Stay in First Place

To start off the last quarter of the season, the Los Angeles Rams hosted the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. The Rams were the better team going in and showed that all game long, dominating New England by a score of 24-3. Let us highlight the big moments in this game and what is at stake moving forward.

Rams Dominate on Defense

The Rams are enjoying a lot of success this season and a lot of that has to do with the dominance on the defensive side of the ball. Led by DT Aaron Donald and CB Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles came into the night ranked fifth in points allowed and second in total yards allowed. They also were tied for third in takeaways coming into the night with 20 (12 INT, 8 FUM).

This game proved to be the most impressive of them all, limiting the anemic New England offense to 220 yards of total offense, holding them to 3-13 on third down and 0-3 on third down. They also totaled six sacks (Donald 2, Brockers 2, Young 1, Fox 1) and forced one turnover. That turnover was a pick-six by Kenny Young, cutting off a screen pass and returning it 79 yards. The Rams defense took over this game and will continue to do so leading them to the playoffs.

Cam Akers

When the Rams offense is successful, it is a ground and pound offense that is complemented by the play-action pass. After a slow start to the season, rookie RB Cam Akers has started to turn the corner, tonight being his breakout game. The former Florida State standout had 29 carries for 171 yards while also catching two passes for 23 yards. In his last three games, Akers has carried the rock 59 times for 327 yards and two touchdowns.

As for the passing attack, it was pedestrian at best, but moved the chains enough to complement the dominant running game. QB Jared Goff went 16/25 for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also scored on a QB sneak to start the scoring for the night. WR Cooper Kupp caught the only passing touchdown, while TE Tyler Higbee and WR Robert Woods added seven catches for 66 yards.

New England Comes Crashing Down

Before tonight, the New England Patriots were enjoying a nice little stretch, winning four of their last five with their latest being a 45-0 blowout over the Los Angeles Chargers. Against the Rams, the Patriots faced a harsh reality. They simply do not have the talent to compete yet and their offense is not dynamic enough to scare a defense. After throwing for over 300 yards against the Texans, QB Cam Newton has not combined for that number in his last three games and ended up getting benched tonight. RB Damien Harris ran for 50 yards tonight and the leading receiver had 49 yards. To top it off, they scored just three points. This offense is too stagnant and does not have any firepower, which has resulted in struggles. If it were not for head coach Bill Belichick scheming this team to victory, it is hard to see what their record would be.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to Week 15, the New England Patriots (6-7) will travel to Miami to take on the playoff-hopeful Miami Dolphins (8-4), with the hopes to get back to .500 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. As for the Los Angeles Rams (9-4), they will have a golden opportunity to boost their chances of winning the division against the New York Jets, who are yet to win a game yet this season.

Info and stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas