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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — In a Los Angeles Rams season that will be unpredictable, at times chaotic and always interesting, we’re going to learn a lot about the young and older players (and their coaches) each week.

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We’ll put the most interesting or relevant of these developments here, in nicely organized sections. Just for you!

This week, the Rams’ running backs — minus No. 1 back Kyren Williams (ankle) and No. 2 back Ronnie Rivers (knee) — are in focus. Plus, defensive players talked me through their takeaways and an inside look at a technical play Cooper Kupp made during the Week 6 win over Arizona.

It’s also the second installment of “Knows Ball Anonymous,” where I seek out a coach, player, analyst, scout or executive to talk me through one behind-the-scenes moment of their choosing, anonymously. These could be Rams-specific people and topics, or perspective gleaned beyond this team … the point is you’ll hear from the people who know ball about the finer details of the sport.

Running backs reshuffling on the fly 

Here’s the situation the Rams are facing at running back: Williams will definitely miss Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, and while Sean McVay indicated that Williams is week-to-week, he also clarified that the team is currently discussing whether to place him on injured reserve. I saw Williams observing practice on Wednesday, with a cast-like wrap around his left ankle. The Rams have a bye week coming up that could be a factor in their decision-making, because Williams would have to miss four games minimum on injured reserve, not four weeks. Rivers is going on injured reserve.

Tuesday, the Rams signed veteran practice squad running back Royce Freeman to the active roster, and then signed Darrell Henderson, a free agent whom the Rams cut last year, to the practice squad. McVay said the “familiarity” with the Rams’ system (even though they have changed their run scheme) helped in Henderson’s case. The Rams also signed Myles Gaskin off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, to their active roster. Assistant head coach Jimmy Lake had previously worked with Gaskin while at the University of Washington, and McVay also cited insight from former Rams coaches Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips, who now are the head coach and offensive coordinator in Minnesota, respectively.

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I asked McVay directly Wednesday whether Zach Evans, who was active Sunday and so was the first running back to rotate in for Williams and Rivers on Sunday, will start for the Rams this week. He declined to say — in fairness, the team is workshopping different combinations of players as they install their game plan for the week.

“Zach has been working his butt off out there, giving the defense a great look on the scout team. He’s been recognized by Sean (McVay) in a couple meetings of just the way the guy has been running,” veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein said. “He even said it before (Sunday), ‘When your opportunity comes, you’re going to be ready to go just by the way you’ve been working.'”

It’s important to remember that playing only on scout team for the first several weeks of the season, as Evans has, means that he has not gotten legitimate reps in the Rams’ own offense — because he is charged with simulating other running backs in opponents’ run game, to give looks the Rams’ defense can practice against. This week will represent Evans’ first actual week in the offense.

“It’s very different in terms of looking at a card (on scout team), (or) running our offense where Matthew’s communication in the huddle and all of the different things that he can do (are happening),” McVay said. “It’ll be a good challenge, but I’m confident that he’ll handle it well.”

The Rams will develop a rotation plan through the week. What that manifests as on Sunday quite literally remains to be seen, and could even change from there over the next few weeks.

For his part, Evans — who was headed to more film study following the late-afternoon open locker room — believes he is ready in part because of the level of competition playing on the scout team offered.

“Going against A-D (Aaron Donald) is crazy,” he said, laughing. “Seriously, though, going against our defense is phenomenal. … I go against A-D every day. I go against a safety like Jordan Fuller. Russ Yeast. I got a linebacker like Ernest Jones coming at me. I feel like I’m going against the best of the best already.”

Also met Myles Gaskin, who was extremely relatable in that he cannot believe how far the practice facilities are from LAX.

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 19, 2023

Inside takes on defensive takeaways

The Rams started slow (and at a deficit) in their turnover margin this season, but Sunday had two takeaways in key moments, all by young or previously unheralded players.

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Inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020, intercepted a ball intended for Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz in the third quarter.

“God, that was a big play,” McVay said after the game. “(It) was critical.”

Rozeboom matched over the top of Ertz’s route on a delayed leak concept, so was in position to grab a ball thrown behind the tight end.

“I remember on Christian’s interception, it was just slow-motion watching it,” laughed defensive lineman Jonah Williams, who for his own part had a sack for a 13-yard loss, two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Williams is close with Rozeboom, as the two joined the team at the same time — both as undrafted free agents. “We always talk about capitalizing on those opportunities, and seeing that ball just bobble around, it could either be one of the best moments or one of the worst moments of the game. Just seeing him capitalize on that was huge.”

Rozeboom had almost two dozen friends and extended family members at the game Sunday, including his wife’s parents. Talk about “son-in-law cred.”

Meanwhile, second-year safety Quentin Lake has demonstrated a knack for making plays especially in short-yardage or underneath situations as the dime linebacker in the Rams’ sub package. While Lake has played only 21 percent of the defensive snaps this year, he’s been highly productive: Just five of the 10 passes targeted to a receiver Lake is covering have been completed, and quarterbacks who target Lake’s player have a 62.9 passer rating, according to Pro Football Reference. He also has a pressure, nine tackles, a defensed pass and a fumble recovery (the latter happened Sunday, after rookie outside linebacker Byron Young forced the fumble).

Lake talked me through his first career fumble recovery after the game:

“They had a three-by-one formation with a chipper (a tight end as blocking help),” Lake said. “He ended up going to the flat. (Cardinals quarterback) Josh Dobbs actually looked at him to throw him the ball. I saw the ball loose. Sometimes you don’t know if it’s an incompletion or a fumble, (but) I was like, ‘I’m gonna go get it, and then the refs are gonna have to make that decision.'”

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Cooper Kupp, magician 

Kupp had an impressive Sunday, his second game back from the hamstring injury that sidelined him through most of training camp as well as the first four games of the season. He had seven catches on nine targets for 148 yards and a touchdown, and was targeted on almost one-third of his total routes run (28), according to TruMedia.

Of Kupp’s five first downs, one of the most technically impressive — that also showed he and quarterback Matthew Stafford are “back” — was a 21-yard catch on third-and-9 in the fourth quarter.

Receiver Austin Trammell’s route, which was the under concept, held his defender a little longer before that defender flipped his hips to go to the “over” sideline concept. The delay gave Kupp a slightly larger catch window available to Stafford. The “over” defender on Kupp reacted to the top of his route as Kupp sold a feint inside, before instead cutting sharply outside toward the sideline and so that defender was also a touch behind. Kupp’s route running created a “triangle” between the defenders, at which he was the apex with space along the sideline. A throw like this, in a known-passing scenario, will always come against pressure. This was a timing play, helped along by left tackle Alaric Jackson forcing his rusher up and over Stafford as he stepped into the pocket to hit the landmark for the throw.

“That was a tough one, but we got it done,” said Stafford, grinning. “He ran a great route. Obviously did a nice job at the top, kind of doubling up the defender. No. 33 (the underneath defender) was kind of sloughing off (so) I had to kind of put it into a spot over there on the sideline. (Kupp) did an amazing job on the sideline with his feet. Tried to put it into a spot where only he could get it, because when I’m cuttin’ it loose, I’m not sure if No. 20 (Kupp’s defender) is going to have an unbelievable break on it, a halfway-decent break or not a good break. I’m just trying to put it into a good spot where, if he does have a good break we (still) have a chance of completing it.”

I posted this screen shot of the broadcast on X, formerly Twitter, this week — where one can really appreciate the toe-drag body-control by Kupp, and also the apparent angst from McVay as he tries to keep his composure:

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 16, 2023

Knows Ball Anonymous 

“Puka Nacua: Is he a receiver who is also a tight end? He blocked the defensive ends — (Dennis) Gardeck, he took (on), he had a knockdown on him. He was blocking him at the point of attack. The Rams, they can run 12 personnel runs out of 11 personnel. That’s something that Cooper (Kupp) used to do, and he still can and still does. But when you have Puka on the open side away from (tight end Tyler) Higbee, or Cooper on the open side away from Higbee, you really have both of your edges taken care of (as if) you’re in 12. When you have Puka next to Higbee, and Cooper in proximity to the tackle in the open side, you’re really, like, you’re playing 13 personnel. That’s something that I think a lot of people have tried to study with Sean (McVay’s) offense. (Redacted name of current NFL head coach) said (to me), ‘That’s something you really need to get a grasp of is how they play in the run game with the receivers. When you game plan them, yeah, they’re always in 11. However, they’re running 12 personnel plays. So you have to fit the run like you have a tight end in that spot, or protected edges.’ Puka did that very often in that Arizona game. He may not have had a lot of catch production, but he had a lot of run-game production.” — Knower of Ball 

(Photo of Zach Evans: Harry How / Getty Images)

The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.