Which players were most valuable to Rams’ 2024 season success?
The Los Angeles Rams season has come to an end following their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs. It was a special season that ended with an NFC West title. They made the postseason and won in the Wild Card round after starting 1-4. There were a lot of key contributors to that run, but some players were more valuable to that success than others. ESPN’s Seth Walder put together a list of the top-100 most valuable players of the 2024 season and three Rams players made the cut.
WR Puka Nacua
Coming in as the 30th most valuable player in 2024 and most valuable player on the Rams was wide receiver Puka Nacua. It’s hard to argue that. Nacua came up 10 yards shy of a second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Had Nacua played all 17 games, he was on pace for 122 catches for 1,530 yards and four touchdowns. The receptions and yards would have been better than his historical rookie season. Said Walder,
“Here’s the headlining number: 3.7 yards per route run. That is the third-highest yards per route run season (min. 200 routes) since 2007, as far back as our route data goes, trailing only Tyreek Hill in 2023 and Steve Smith Sr. in 2008…Nacua was targeted on an absurd 40% of routes this season, the highest rate among all players since 2007. While I dinged him for missing six games, he deserves to be ranked this high for producing at such a historic level.”
Nacua solidified himself as a top-5 if not top-3 wide receiver in the NFL. After he returned from injury, he made impressive catches week in and week out and was the most explosive and creative player in the Rams offense. Unlike in past years, the offense ran through Nacua.
QB Matthew Stafford
Just four spots behind Nacua came quarterback Matthew Stafford. While Stafford started slow, he showed why when he is on, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Stafford started the season throwing three touchdowns to four interceptions. However, much of that was due to his top two targets being injured as well as the offensive line. When his supporting cast returned against the Minnesota Vikings, Stafford threw four touchdowns to one interception with a quarterback rating of 124.5.
From Weeks 8-17, Stafford ranked seventh in the NFL in EPA per play and eighth in success rate. Stafford played his best games against some of the best opponents, which included a 320-yard performance against the Buffalo Bills. The Rams will go as Matthew Stafford goes and hopefully he has one more year left in the tank.
EDGE Jared Verse
The final Rams player to make the top-100 most valuable players was none other than rookie edge rusher Jared Verse at 64. That should come as no surprise. For most of the season, Verse was the best player on the Rams defense and by the end showed that he could at least attempt to fill the shoes of Aaron Donald. Verse won the PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year while ranking fourth in the NFL in pressures. He also had the third most high quality pressures.
Verse saved his best for the end when he took over two playoff games on the defensive side of the ball. The sacks for Verse will come. He only finished with 4.5. However, he also created opportunities for others. The Rams’ first selection in the first round since 2016 looks to be a good one.
