Rams look back in a big way. Here's how they've done it
The Los Angeles Rams might have attained the vaunted title that people in sports media love to throw around this time of year: the team that nobody wants to play.
After a 30-22 win over the New Orleans Saints, which didn’t feel as close as the final score indicates, the Rams put a firm grasp on their playoff chances, moving to the sixth seed in the NFC with a red-hot offense and a defense that’s coming into its own. The Rams were a wild card coming into the year, considering Matthew Stafford’s health and Sean McVay’s near retirement, and now they could be the most dangerous team in the wild-card round.
Once again, McVay has found the next evolution of what his offense is going to look like, from the super-heavy play-action days with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley to a unit that relies less on play-action but still takes hacks down the field with in-breakers and sideline shots thanks to Stafford’s arm talent. Kyren Williams has turned into the kind of workhorse back that McVay likes to have in his offenses, and the Rams have moved to a more gap-heavy run game instead of one that’s outside zone-based. McVay’s willingness to tinker and play around with his offense instead of staying steadfast in one philosophy has put the Rams in position to evolve.
Of course, the singular force that is Stafford’s right arm allows for the Rams to run one of the most high-difficulty passing games in the league. Just go back and watch some of the throws Stafford made against the Ravens to keep his team in the game while Lamar Jackson toyed with their defense. Stafford is damn near a one-of-one arm talent in a league that features a ton of talented passers right now. His expertise and physical ability allow the Rams to run one of the more unique passing games in a league that has embraced shorter passing concepts.
The Rams love to throw to the middle of the field on deeper passing concepts when they need to pick up yards in bunches. According to RBSDM.com, Stafford ranks 12th in average depth of target (8.0 yards), and his willingness to make tough throws has allowed an unlikely star to be born on their offense.
Rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua has immediately become one of the best receivers, on pace to break Jaylen Waddle’s record for receptions by a rookie. His 1,327 receiving yards rank second in the entire league going into the rest of Week 16, and his mark of 88.5 yards per game ranks seventh in the league.
It isn’t just Nacua with whom the Rams have had success with younger players. Williams, offensive lineman Steve Avila, linebacker Byron Young, defensive lineman Kobie Turner, tight end Davis Allen, safety Jordan Fuller and others represent the success they've had drafting outside the first round. (The Rams have also not picked in the first round since their selection of Goff in 2016.) Their draft strategy of “let’s take a million swings on Day 2 and Day 3” has actually worked out in a big way. They made 14 selections in the 2023 draft alone! It gives legitimacy to their plan of being a top-heavy roster that fills in the blanks with cheaper talent through the latter portions of the draft.
All in all, the Rams are back — in a big way. It turns out that last season was just a blip on the radar for them, and they have a renewed sense of hope for the future. Stafford looks like he can play for a long time, they’ve restocked their young talent, and McVay has the offense floating. They probably don’t have the horses to take down the 49ers this season, but with a strong offseason in 2024 (one that might finally feature one of their own first-round draft picks), the Rams can get back to being title contenders in the NFC.
