Targets? We probably don't mention them enough here at CF but yesterday was a master class lesson on what has been happening in the NFL and at the college level. And we wonder why white WR production is way down these days?
Much like basketball where the biggest shot takers are black and by a large margin mind you, in football blacks receivers receive on average a lot more targets. The discrepancy is wide and long. You can't catch balls unless you are targeted.
Cooper Kupp was targeted a measly 4 times yesterday. An unheard of total for a player of his talent. Coming off a gigantic game Kupp was not integrated into the Rams offense and lo and behold they lose.
Conversely take a look at that creepy Chiefs speedster T Hill's target and stat line yesterday. He was targeted 19 times and ended up with an 11 catch 157 yard 1 TD game. Since I watched the game at least 60 of those tack on yards could have been prevented if the Titans defensive backs could tackle. They were flummoxed by his little moves and took the worst angles trying to tackle him. Several times he was boxed in but the defenders were so bad they let him slip away.
Meanwhile TE Travis Kelce was targeted 7 times and ended up with a 7-75 stat line. Would have been a lot more but two big plays were called back. I can't recall one time this season where a Tyreek Hill catch and run has been called back.
Think about it. 19 targets in one game. Hell it will take Andy Isabella two full seasons to reach that number the rate he is being used.
Goff was under immense pressure the entire game, a combination of the improved Steelers defense and the Rams inexplicable inability to protect Goff much of the time this season. It's not like Kupp was deliberately phased out of the Rams offense, it was a fluke result due to circumstances and game flow. The LA offense was bad yesterday and overall has become a shell of what it was last season other than Kupp's brilliance. Goff isn't a runner and just as with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning before him, the key to beating him is to not give him any time to throw. It also doesn't help that Todd Gurley has seemingly become washed up or close to it because of his degenerative knees.
Some of the media and DWFs are already whining again that Goff "sucks" but if the Rams are to be a serious contender this season they need to protect Goff much better.