Why it’s still ok to stay optimistic on the 2024 Los Angeles Rams

It’s may be easy to throw in the towel after a 1-3 start, but LA has proven to be a resilient franchise under Sean McVay

The Los Angeles Rams have struggled out of the gate thus far in 2024. Whether it be an absurd amount of injuries or a lack of communication and execution on the field, things have not gone well for Sean McVay’s group. There has been a cascade of criticism towards LA since Sunday, and admittedly a lot of it has been warranted after their performance vs the Chicago Bears, still there are plenty of reasons why fans should stay optimistic on the Rams.

They have been here before

This start to this season has felt eerily like the 3-6 beginnings of 2023. LA struggled out of the gate last season due to major injuries, including losses of WR Cooper Kupp and RB Kyren Williams. Post-bye week it was a completely different story. The team was able to regroup and regain some injured players, like Williams and Kupp, going 7-1 to finish out the remainder of the season, while claiming a wild card spot in the process.

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The Rams were only 2-3 after Week 5 last year, and at this point they still have a chance to match that same record with an underdog win at home over the Green Bay Packers this weekend.

While 2-3 would be nothing to brag about, if last season showed anything it’s that McVay builds resilient groups that are able to stay focused despite slow starts, and many of the same players that went through the 2023 rollercoaster are still on the roster this time around too.

The young pass rush will be elite if they figure out how to finish

The Rams have struggled mightily against the run including a ton of missed tackles, but with a defensive line now lacking Aaron Donald and built mostly of second and first-year players, mistakes are bound to happen. The pressure they are putting on teams is undeniably top tier though, leading the NFL by pressuring the quarterback on 41.3% of drop backs. They are also finding this success despite a low number of actual blitz plays being called by defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

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Rookie Jared Verse is standing out the most, getting to the QB 18% of the time which ranking him fifth in the entire NFL. However, the problem is Verse also leads the NFL in missed tackles with 11. Rookie Braden Fiske has also been doing his part, ranking 11th in the NFL with 15.9%. Second-year pillars LB Byron Young and DT Kobie Turner are also both having success with double-digit pressure percentages of their own as well.

Since the Rams are struggling so badly at corner, both with injuries and overall play, LA needs more of the pressures finished by the d-line so it will naturally cut down on throws being completed during scramble plays, something that mobile quarterback Kyler Murray made them pay for in their Week 2 loss to the Cardinals.

The good news is that if this young group can figure out how to finish tackles, the defense can turn it around in a major way. These four taking the next step quickly would be a huge win for the Rams, not just this year but long term as well, since this group is locked up on cheap rookie deals for minimally the next two to three years.

Reinforcements are coming

Luckily for LA, even with so many injuries, the majority of them have not been season ending. An early bye during Week 6 was thought to maybe be a bad thing when the schedule was released, however now it’s looking like a blessing. The Rams opened up the 21-day practice window for expected CB1 Darious Williams this week. WR Puka Nacua is also eligible to return Week 7, though it’s expected he may be out for a bit longer while dealing with a knee injury.

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WR Cooper Kupp was never placed on IR and has a real chance of returning to the team after their bye week. Kupp was seen working out on the sidelines with Nacua, who was wearing a compression sleeve on his injured leg, last week. Los Angeles can also get back LG Jonah Jackson and do-it-all lineman Joe Noteboom as both are eligible to return after the bye as well.

The remaining schedule and a weak NFC West

The Rams schedule doesn’t really get much more daunting after their bye week, with winnable games vs. the Raiders, Seahawks, Dolphins, Patriots, Eagles, Saints, Jets, 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks again. While the NFC leading Vikings and AFC powerhouse Bills are both also in that mix, overall Los Angeles doesn’t have any brutal stretches coming up.

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If the Rams are able to go 9-3 or 8-4 during the remainder of games, they would still have a realistic shot at the playoffs in the NFC with a 10-7 or 9-8 record. The Cardinals and 49ers both have their own struggles with injuries, and Seattle just got demolished by the Lions Monday night, keeping the NFC West entirely up for grabs.

There’s still #9

No matter what happens, there is one constant on the Rams roster and it’s that they have one of the NFC’s best quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford. In this league if you have a top-tier QB you will always have a chance. While Stafford isn’t putting up gaudy numbers, part of that is the fact that the first two weeks his offensive line was in shambles, and he’s been without his top two receivers most of the season.

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RB Kyren Williams also been getting a lot of looks, which is no doubt cutting into Stafford’s throwing opportunities a bit. To me, that is actually a good thing though as Williams is currently tied for first in the NFL with five rushing touchdowns. Rushing success like that is only going to help the play action, which McVay has built much of his offense around. Stafford was 11 for 13 with 154 yards vs. the Bears out of play action and it’s something that the team could consider deploying more in the red zone to help with their scoring issues.

Even without the numbers, Stafford has been efficient with almost a 70% competition percentage while averaging 244.2 passing yards per game and an 89.2 QBR. He still doing Stafford things, like leading come from behind victories and throwing no look passes, and there’s no doubt that things will only get better for the veteran once he gets back his go-to-guys in Kupp and Nacua.