The Los Angeles Rams have always boasted some of the league's best offenses since Sean McVay took over as head coach. Last year, their second-half surge led them to the playoffs and saw them finish eighth in points per game.
They have a good chance of being better in 2024. In fact, NFL.com analyst Gennaro Filice believes the Rams will be among the NFL's elite, ranking them fourth in the league in his latest predictions. The reason? Matthew Stafford and McVay are pretty dang good together.
"The marriage between Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford immediately produced a seven-pound, 22-inch bundle of joy. But the Lombardi luster didn’t last long, as the Rams suffered an epic Super Bowl hangover in 2022, going 5-12 with Stafford missing eight games due to injury. Nobody gave Los Angeles much of a chance to compete entering last season, and when the Rams hit their Week 10 bye at 3-6, it did indeed appear to be another clunker campaign. Then Los Angeles ran off six wins in its next seven games to clinch a playoff berth, with Stafford quarterbacking at an extremely high level and second-year back Kyren Williams bursting on the scene as a perfect complement to balance out the offense. L.A. lost a nail-biter in Detroit on Super Wild Card Weekend, but don’t blame Stafford, who flambéed his former team for 367 yards and two touchdowns."
Filice also explains how the addition of Blake Corum and the Rams' investments in their offensive line will pay off for the team in 2024.
" This offseason, GM Les Snead beefed up the offensive line and then drafted RB Blake Corum, obviously looking to further support his 36-year-old quarterback with a more potent ground game. Smart thinking. In 15 NFL seasons, Stafford has only been supported by a top-20 rushing offense twice: the 2013 Lions ranked 17th and last year’s Rams finished 11th. Can you imagine what McVay and Stafford could accomplish with top-10 ground support? I can, which is why the Rams earned a top-five spot on this list."
Last week, I wrote about the Rams' resurgence on the ground in 2023, led by their move to utilizing the pistol formation. The dynamic punch of Blake Corum and Kyren Williams at running back will propel the Rams' offense to new heights in 2024. The Rams made it a point to reinforce their offensive line and make running the ball their priority in 2024.
Their wide receiver room is the most concerning part of the Rams' offense. Puka Nacua set the world on fire last season, but the concern is the rest of that room, something Filice echoes in his article.
" Is Cooper Kupp still elite? Puka Nacua was a revelation last season -- the last pick of the fifth round set rookie receiving records for catches (105) and yards (1,486). But the Rams’ previous pass-catching dynamo suffered a second consecutive injury-abbreviated year. Kupp wasn’t bad, eclipsing 100 yards in four of his 12 games, but the game-to-game showing was a far cry from his 2021 Offensive Player of the Year campaign, when he achieved the rare receiving triple crown. With Kupp having just turned 31, we’re left to wonder if he’s in decline. Nacua’s rugged playing style leaves him susceptible to injury. Although he started all 18 games for Los Angeles last season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder missed time in college and the pre-draft process due to various ailments, partially explaining why he lasted until Pick No. 177. If the Rams’ new WR1 goes down, will their old WR1 be ready to spearhead the passing attack once again?"
The Rams chose not to invest in their wide receiver room virtually at all in the offseason, electing to bring back WR3 Demarcus Robinson and adding a likely special teamer in Jordan Whittington in the sixth round of the draft. While this could be a sign of their belief in Kupp's return to health or a sign of just how stubborn they'll be about running the ball, it's a significant concern, as the team has to figure out how to keep scheming players open.
Regardless, the Rams have the talent and the mind to keep their offense among the elite in 2024. If the defense shows any signs of life under new DC Chris Shula, expect the Rams to make another appearance in the postseason in 2024.
