This article is part of our NFL Observations series.
That game was almost perfect -- I needed Kyler Murray to have an off day, and while he didn't score or throw for any touchdowns, he racked up 383 yards passing and 61 yards rushing. But the Rams covered (and won), Matthew Stafford went for 287 and three, and both Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham went off.
- Matthew Stafford looked sharp -- he moved well in the pocket, bought time, made several accurate deep throws down the field and didn't turn it over. He's a dark horse in the MVP race still.
- Sony Michel (20-79-0, 1-0-0-0) ran hard and well -- in fact the player he reminded me of this game was Nick Chubb.
- Another dark horse MVP candidate is Cooper Kupp (15-13-123-1) who already has 113 catches and 1,489 yards with four games to play! Michael Thomas' catch record (149) is at risk, and even Calvin Johnson's yardage record (1,964) is not out of reach.
- Odell Beckham (7-6-77-1) looked good, and it seems like he's now fully integrated into the offense.
- Kyler Murray is the QB1 when he runs. Josh Allen is his only competition.
- James Conner (13-31-2, 9-9-94) is a touchdown machine. He now has 16 total with four games to play. He looked great as a receiver too, though Chase Edmonds could cut into that role next week.
- DeAndre Hopkins (12-5-54-0) hasn't gotten on track this year. In fact his season high in receiving yards is only 87. A.J. Green (10-7-102-0) is still relevant, even with Hopkins healthy.
