It wasn’t so way back that the 2024 Los Angeles Rams had been a crew that frightened no opponent. After their Week 5 loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers, Sean McVay’s crew was caught in a quagmire at 1-4. Matthew Stafford was enjoying in a method that did in no way resemble Matthew Stafford – primarily as a result of Stafford’s two high receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, had been out with accidents. Stafford had been pressured on 65 of his dropbacks (34.0% general), and he was coping with again soreness.
Simply as disturbing was a protection that was crammed with younger stars oozing potential, but it surely wasn’t displaying up. A line of defense with Jared Verse, Byron Younger, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske ranked twenty seventh in sacks and twenty second in complete pressures. Partially due to that lack of quarterback disruption, Los Angeles’ opponent passer ranking of 117.7 was the NFL’s worst. And solely the Dallas Cowboys (0.12) allowed a better opponent Dashing EPA per try than the Rams’ 0.10.
Principally, none of what the Rams needed to do was working outdoors of a run sport that held the whole lot collectively as a lot because it may. The crew had a Week 6 bye, and all McVay may hope was that key gamers would begin to return and recuperate from accidents, and the crew may flip issues round… in some way.
“It’s an incredible, tremendous steadiness,” McVay mentioned the day after the Packers sport. “In the end, the aim is to encourage and encourage constructive change with these guys, and the constant issues that we’re searching for. We’re at all times attempting to determine how to have the ability to join, find out how to ensure that we’re creating that readability, after which additionally perceive inside every of those matchups that happen on a week-to-week foundation… what are we doing inside our schemes, and what are we asking of our guys to attempt to assist them go shine?”
No matter magic occurred in that week off, it actually confirmed up.
After that Week 5 loss, the Rams ranked twenty fifth in Complete DVOA; they’ve risen to seventeenth since. They ranked seventeenth in Offensive DVOA; now, they’re as much as seventh. And that Thirty first-ranked Defensive DVOA rating seems lots higher now at twenty second.
Clearly, the passing sport is healthier with Kupp and Nacua again on the sphere, however simply how significantly better? In Weeks 1-5, the Rams had a Passing EPA of -0.03. With each of their high skills within the sport, that has raised to +0.09. Stafford’s landing charge has elevated from 3.6% to 4.8%, and his interception charge has dropped from 1.8% to 1.5%. And the identical man who accomplished 118 of 175 handed for 1,238 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer ranking of 86.3 within the first 5 weeks of the season has accomplished 175 of 264 passes for two,065 yards, 16 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a passer ranking of 103.8 since.
It additionally helps that Stafford’s strain numbers have dropped noticeably – because the bye, he’s been harassed simply 81 instances (29.2%), which has allowed the 36-year-old to look much more just like the ninja we’ve got come to anticipate.
On protection, issues have additionally improved. That league-worst opponent passer ranking has diminished itself to 90.6 since Week 7 (post-bye), Eleventh-best within the league. The Rams’ 19.0 sacks rank tenth since then, and their 109 complete pressures rank fifth. The run protection has additionally improved – -0.03 EPA per try since Week 7, which is much extra center of the pack than earlier than.
Now, the 7-6 Rams, who’re 6-2 since their bye, put together to tackle the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night time in a sport that might boot the 6-7 defending NFC champs out of playoff chance, and will additional McVay’s trigger as a no-doubt postseason nightmare for any opponent. Final Sunday’s 44-42 win over the Buffalo Payments actually cemented simply how far the Rams have are available a brief house of time.
How has this occurred, and what does it imply as soon as the postseason rolls round?
Matthew Stafford has his star vast receivers again
It’s not that the Rams had been fully bereft of playmakers when Kupp and Nacua had been out. McVay tailored as greatest he may, working way more 12 personnel (one again, two tight ends, two receivers) than the standard league-high food regimen of 11 personnel (one again, one tight finish, three receivers) he would favor. Receivers Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittingtonm, and Demarcus Robinson, in addition to tight finish Colby Parkinson, had been probably the most prolific pass-catchers within the absence of the 2 superstars. Nevertheless it stands to cause that when your most proficient guys are again on the sphere, the situational receivers can return to that, whereas Kupp and Nacua can grace us with their brilliance. No person’s attempting to do an excessive amount of, and the chemistry Stafford has developed with Kupp and Nacua reveals up time and again.
When Stafford has his full array of receivers, and he can assault a protection with all of McVay’s condensed splits, goal deployments, and movement ideas… good luck stopping it for too lengthy. The Payments had few solutions towards any of it.
The Rams offensive line is well being(ier)
A part of the rationale Stafford isn’t getting pressured as a lot because the bye is that his protectors are feeling higher. Sort out Joe Noteboom and guard Steve Avila had been every positioned on injured reserve following the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, and Avila has been again since Week 9. Noteboom can play both left or proper deal with, however the efforts of Alaric Jackson on the left facet have been a really nice shock. Jackson, the fourth-year undrafted free agent from Iowa, made Secret Superstars this week after a dominant efficiency versus the Payments’ pass-rushing and run-stopping efforts.
The @RamsNFL‘s offense was actually explosive and bodily towards the @BuffaloBills within the Sport of the Yr So Far, and LT Alaric Jackson was a giant a part of that. Superb in move professional, and he was sealing his edge time and again within the run sport. pic.twitter.com/XLJpBhTA1M
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 10, 2024
Jonah Jackson, the previous Lions star who was purported to be the Rams’ middle of the longer term after signing a three-year, $51 million contract this offseason, has simply 200 snaps this season as he battles his personal accidents. If Jackson will be prepared for the ultimate regular-season run and the playoff push, all the higher. Beaux Limmer, the sixth-round rookie from Arkansas, has crammed in ably in Jackson’s absence.
“I’ve quite a lot of expectations for that group, as a result of I understand how proficient they’re, and I do know what sort of group they are often,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur mentioned Tuesday of his line. “Extra importantly, I do know they’ve that customary for themselves. With continuity not simply on Sundays, however with what they’ve been capable of do Wednesdays by means of Fridays… simply beginning to get used to hitting mixtures collectively, passing off video games collectively, being within the huddle collectively, and never being within the coaching room all day like they had been through the first a part of the 12 months battling their accidents. It’s good to have them again.”
And it could possibly be even higher.
The Rams protection is coming collectively
The transition from Raheem Morris to Chris Shula at defensive coordinator took a second to kick in, as is usually the case. Ask the Philadelphia Eagles about their protection early within the season underneath Vic Fangio, and the way it’s appeared because the gamers took Vic’s philosophies to the sphere.
Within the Rams’ case, Shula is extra more likely to run five-man fronts as a result of he has the expertise to take action. The additions of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske – Florida State rookies who had been already used to working collectively – has made a giant distinction, and that’s confirmed up on the sphere. These Rams are additionally a bit extra more likely to press and match opposing receivers, and there’s a comparatively unknown group of defensive backs who’re benefiting from that.
Cobie Durant, the third-year fourth-round choose from South Carolina State who additionally made Secret Superstars this week, has been maybe the largest benefactor. We’ll see what the latest addition of 2023 Washington Commanders first-round choose Emmanuel Forbes, who washed out along with his first crew, can convey to that equation.
Shula additionally has a tremendously versatile group of safeties and slot defenders in Jaylen McCollough, Kamren Kurl, Kamren Kinchens, and Quentin Lake. It’s a contemporary protection in that Shula can name a number of fronts and coverages, and whereas these complexities additionally require time for everybody to get on the identical web page, it’s beginning to occur.
“It’s actually about getting one of the best 11 on the sphere, and likewise what the offense presents,” Shula mentioned this week. “There are particular groups that, based mostly on the personnels that they do, dictate what personnel you’re going to be in and what 11 you will have on the sphere. Happily, we’ve got quite a lot of guys again there that we will sort of transfer round. That dictates a matchup, the kind of schemes and the kind of personnels they placed on, and the supply of our guys to be versatile. If we’ve got a man that we really feel is nice at nickel or good at security, we’re going to get our greatest 11 on the sphere it doesn’t matter what.”
That “it doesn’t matter what” mindset appears to have your entire crew firing on all required cylinders. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is aware of precisely what the problem might be on Thursday night time.
“I believe they do lots to be trustworthy, simply coverages and the way they play,” Purdy mentioned Tuesday. “They’ve lots on tape, which as an offense and a quarterback, you’ve simply acquired to be on high of your stuff per play. Typically, there’s these defenses the place you stroll up and what they’re in and kind of anticipate them to do sure tendencies all through the sport from what you’ve seen on movie. However I believe these guys do a very good job of switching issues up, and also you’ve simply acquired to be on high of your stuff. Their entrance is basically good and explosive. They’ve gotten higher all year long. Their secondary, the linebackers, everyone, all of them tie collectively. They’re enjoying [their] greatest soccer proper now.
“So, large problem for us.”
How far can the Rams take this?
At this level, it will be a bit obsequious to say that the Rams are up there with the Lions, Eagles, and Vikings among the many NFC’s greatest groups. Nevertheless it’s additionally true that because the bye, there aren’t many groups in both convention who would discover them something however a troublesome out at worst.
Now, the Rams have turn out to be a type of “Objects are nearer than they might seem” groups that you really want no a part of. The remainder of the NFL is taking discover. They’re at the moment the NFC’s eight seed, in order that they’ll must proceed the great vibes to even make the match.
But when they do? Watch the heck out.
