St. Louis Rams: 5 Most Impactful Players During Sunday’s 27-6 Victory

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tavon Austin

Despite the fact that he’s not built like a prototypical “number one receiver” and lacks the standard skill set to fill that role, Austin has pretty clearly become the top wideout for the Rams with Nick Foles as the quarterback. Austin continued what has been a fantastic breakout season on Sunday with four catches for 98 yards and an amazing 66-yard receiving touchdown, as well as three rushing attempts for 21 yards and a two-yard rushing touchdown. Austin still needs to become more consistent as a receiver—he fumbled a 24-yard catch that could have been a game-changing recovery for the 49ers had their offense been competent enough to convert it into a score, and he just needs to become better at catching the ball in general—but he’s clearly the most reliable option that the Rams have in the passing game. It doesn’t hurt, either, that he’s a potential game breaker as a runner, and he’s getting better at contributing in that facet of the game: in a situation where offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti looked like a maniac for lining up Austin in the backfield at the Rams’ own 10 yard line, Austin made all the armchair play callers look bad and had a 13-yard run up the middle for an important first down.

Next: 1. Todd Gurley