19 of 32 NFL teams score touchdowns on offensive red zone possessions this season. The Los Angeles Rams rank 23rd at 46%, putting them in the bottom third among their peers in the league.
Let’s call a spade a spade. The Rams suck in the red zone this year, and it’s a continuation of a multi-season problem that Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford cannot seem to shake. In this same metric, LA ranked 25th in 2024.
In order to solve the problem, you must first identify the root causes. These are the five issues I would boil the dilemma down to.
1 – Lack of quarterback mobility
For as much as Stafford brings to the Rams offense, it’s worth admitting that there are legitimate drawbacks to starting an age 37 quarterback with a bad back. Stafford could be the least mobile signal caller in all the NFL, and that was effectively confirmed last week when 330+ lbs. Jordan Davis ran a farther distance to meet Stafford at the sideline on third and two.
How much easier is the lives of player callers when they have a quarterback that can threaten with his legs at the goal line? This isn’t something the Buffalo Bills have to worry about with Josh Allen. Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles benefit from a virtual cheat code in the tush push. All three of the other teams in the NFC West can count on their quarterback to win with their legs when the passing lanes are clogged. The Rams themselves have difficulty defending these types of players.
It’s unwise and wild to blame Sean McVay for LA’s red zone troubles. He’s calling plays with one hand tied behind his back.
The replacement for Stafford—whether it comes in 2026 or thereafter—must have a mobile element in order to access new areas of McVay’s playbook.
2 – Is Davante Adams helping this offense?
When the Rams signed Davante Adams they billed it as a solution to a years-long problem that had only temporary been solved by the likes of Sammy Watkins and Odell Beckham, Jr. But now that LA has Adams, the offense feels more disjointed and forced than it ever has under McVay (save for 2022, the year we all wiped from our memory).
While Puka Nacua has caught 83% of the passes thrown his direction through three weeks, Adams is converting less than one in two of his opportunities:
- 12 receptions on 28 targets (46.4%) for 213 yards, two TD’s
- Four receptions on 11 contested catch targets (36.4%)
Adams is supposed to be a problem solver for this offense. So far he’s introduced new challenges and it’s coming at the cost of lost efficiency.
3 – Quarterback accuracy
NFL statistics usually regard the red zone as inside the 20-yard line. Most coaching staffs view the red area as within the 12-yard line. Stafford has the second-most attempts within 10 yards. This is how he has fared in these areas of the field, roughly:
- Inside 20: 9 of 17 (53% completion) for 54 yards and four TD’s
- Inside 10: 4 of 10 (40% completion) for 24 yards and two TD’s
These are the QB’s with the same or lower completion rate within 10 yards as Stafford. Tell me if you believe this is good company.
- Spencer Rattler (40%)
- Cam Ward (40%)
- Trevor Lawrence (40%)
- Justin Herbert (40%)
- Drake Maye (37.5%)
- Patrick Mahomes (37.5%; bad this year)
- CJ Stroud (25%)
- Daniel Jones (20%)
- Russell Wilson (13.33%; 2 of 15)
Simply put, this production is not good enough. Stafford is a high-end processor and must identify the open man in the red zone. If he’s locking on to Adams and forcing the ball, this is something that must come to an end soon.
4 – Offensive line injuries and woes
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum each have one goal line touchdown. Williams watched one of his scores erased from the board in Week 3 against the Eagles because of an obvious holding penalty called on Coleman Shelton, double-leg tackled a defender.
It’s no secret that Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson are not healthy and the offensive has suffered as a result. Justin Dedich has been the primary replacement for Avila and is slight of frame and outmatched. Beaux Limmer has also filled in and been inept in short stints. Shelton is not living up to his billing as one of the team’s key free agent additions from this offseason.
You can cross your fingers and hope for clean bills of health for Avila and Dotson. Shelton is not likely going anywhere and needs to perform better, though in his defense it does help when your neighbors are more sturdy in their assignment.
5 – Personnel swings & misses
Adams is far from the first player the Rams have acquired to help solve their red zone issues.
Last offseason the team targeted the 6-7, 265 lbs. Colby Parkinson to catch rebounds in the end zone while Tyler Higbee was unavailable with a knee injury. Parkinson was an afterthought in the offense for most of the 2024 season despite playing often, and he’s since been relegated to a primarily blocking role.
This spring the Rams spent their first draft choice—after trading down with the Atlanta Falcons to earn an extra first round pick in 2026—on Terrance Ferguson. You’d think a team with struggles scoring near the goal line would turn to their athletic TE that is 6-5, 256 lbs. Instead, Ferguson has barely played on offense (when Parkinson was out with an injury in Week 2) and was a healthy scratch in the third game in Philly.
But Ferguson isn’t the only rookie that isn’t seeing the field. While Jarquez Hunter was not drafted to be a bruising red zone rushing threat, he is still a dynamic player with a physical running style who could in theory add a speed element in the backfield that LA currently does not have.
0 CommentsSee More:
