THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Rams held their second and final joint practice with the Raiders on Thursday, a shorter session that saw a crisper performance by Los Angeles' offense.
Staff writer Stu Jackson shares 10 Observations from the session.
1) Offense looks sharper: Los Angeles' offense had a much better day against Las Vegas' defense in the second joint practice, with quarterback Matthew Stafford connecting with wide receiver Cooper Kupp a couple of times over the middle and wide receiver Van Jefferson on a deep ball down the right sideline during 11-on-11 work. In 7-on-7 drills, quarterback John Wolford found tight end Johnny Mundt over the middle for a touchdown.
2) Speaking of Jefferson's catch: Stafford and Jefferson have connected on deep passes before in training camp, so it was a familiar sight seeing Jefferson use great ball tracking to make the over-the-shoulder catch he had on Thursday.
3) The Kupp connection: One of those catches over the middle included a one-handed grab, then Kupp heading to the endzone for the touchdown.
4) Another Taylor Rapp pass breakup: This time, the third-year safety deflected a pass by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr near the line of scrimmage with both hands.
5) Burst from Xavier Jones: The second-year running back showed nice agility after the catch on a short pass from Stafford, making a evading a couple defenders then cutting upfield.
6) Bringing the "thud": LB Troy Reeder delivered as physical a hit as a defender could while keeping the other player on their feet during 7-on-7 drills, drilling a Raiders wide receiver to force an incomplete pass from quarterback Marcus Mariota.
7) Tight window: One of Stafford's other impressive passes in Thursday's joint practice came via threading the needle past the outstretched hand of a defender for a completion to Kupp, delivered with velocity before the defender could deflect the pass.
8) Almost: Wolford nearly found tight end Jacob Harris for a touchdown during 7-on-7 work. Harris was in good position, but Wolford just overthrew him.
9) Rest day for defensive lineman Aaron Donald: The three-time defensive player of the year was an observer rather than a participant on Thursday, receiving a veteran rest day.
10) Practice wraps up early after skirmish: A fight during special teams drills sent the Raiders to their buses to depart the facility, while the Rams finished special teams drills with their own offense going against their own defense. However, "there was a lot of good work we were getting in" despite practice ending early, according to Rams head coach Sean McVay.
