6 reasons Rams came up short vs. Lions in wild-card game

The Lions’ ball carriers are not easy to get on the ground. Let’s get that out of the way. Jahmyr Gibbs is as shifty as any running back, Amon-Ra St. Brown is quicker than most receivers and David Montgomery is a blend of power and elusiveness as a running back.

That being said, the Rams absolutely needed to tackle better in this game. There were far too many instances where a defender whiffed and couldn’t bring down the ball carrier, often in key situations. Michael Hoecht missed a pair of tackles that proved costly, first on a reception that gained 14 yards by Gibbs and later on Montgomery in the flat during the Lions’ final drive, which picked up a first down.

Russ Yeast missed a tackle on Montgomery in the hole on his touchdown run, Witherspoon missed on St. Brown along the sideline, which turned into a 14-yard gain, and both Ernest Jones and Derion Kendrick whiffed on Gibbs’ 16-yard reception down the right side.

One play that might get overlooked is Yeast’s missed tackle on Sam LaPorta right before the Lions’ 54-yard field goal. LaPorta only gained 4 more yards, but there’s a big difference between 54 and 58 yards on a field goal attempt.

There was just too much poor tackling all across the board against a very good offense.