Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

The Film Don't Lie: Rams

ST. LOUIS -- A weekly look at what the St. Louis Rams must fix:

Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles are masters of misdirection but a closer inspection of the numbers would indicate a preference to go right down the middle when it comes to the passing game. That preference and the Rams’ struggles defending the middle could prove a lethal combination when the teams meet on Oct. 5, after the bye week.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Rams have been one of the worst teams in the league defending passes between the hashmarks, allowing opponents to complete 76 percent of their passes over the middle the first two weeks.

There was no improvement in that regard against Dallas in Week 3 as quarterback Tony Romo was 14-of-16 for 193 yards and two touchdowns on such attempts.

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has had plenty of success down the middle, going 28-of-43 for 465 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in the first three games. Running back Darren Sproles and tight end Zach Ertz are two of Foles’ primary weapons. Sproles has eight catches for 161 yards and Ertz has five catches for 112 yards and a touchdown on passes between the hashes.

The Rams don’t have many options to change personnel so to correct the problem they’ll have to rely on what they have. One solution might be to use safety T.J. McDonald in coverage a bit more. While they need him to help against the run, he’s only playing in coverage about a third of the time, leaving free safety Rodney McLeod and the team’s linebackers vulnerable in coverage.

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