Turf Show Times
That’s a wrap on the regular season for the 2025 Los Angeles Rams. LA next takes the field on Saturday afternoon on the road against the Carolina Panthers, winners of the NFC South division.
Before we fully turn our attention to the postseason, let’s take a glance in the rear view mirror and assess standpoint performers (in both good ways and bad) according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades and metrics.
Overall: #1 – 96.2
Seahawks #2 (93.6), Lions #3 (93.3), Patriots #4 (91.9), Texans #5 (88.9)
Offense: #1 – 93.6
49ers #2 (84.5), Patriots #3 (84.2), Seahawks #4 (83.6), Lions #5 (82.8)
Defense: #1 – 87.7
Browns #2 (84.5), Texans #3 (83.0), Seahawks #4 (82.8), Lions #5 (82.0)
Special teams: #26 – 73.7
The Rams are PFF’s top team on each side of the ball and the highest graded overall team. They fall short in the third phase of the game, special teams, and this is an area that potentially cost LA up to three wins on the season. Ultimately this was the defense between making the playoffs as a wildcard entrant and winning the NFC West division.
It is notable that the Seahawks also rank in the top five on each side of the ball and overall are just behind Los Angeles overall. These are two of the best teams in all of the NFL.
The Lions must be disappointed to not make the playoffs. They also ranked in the top five on offense/defense and finished sixth in special teams. The Bears and Packers both made the playoffs while Detroit and Jared Goff now sit at home.
It is no surprise that Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, and Kevin Dotson lead the Rams in grading. Nacua, when healthy, is evidently the best player on the field. His connection with Stafford deepened and the stat sheet reflects improvement from both.
LA’s offense doesn’t look the same since Dotson was injured in the most recent game against Seattle. He’s the Rams’ best offensive lineman (hands down) and excels at creating pathways for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in the rushing game. Fingers crossed that Dotson is able to return for the playoffs.
We also cannot ignore the found money in Warren McClendon. The Rams were in a seemingly impossible position with Rob Havenstein’s play taking a major step back. They had a hole that would require either big free agent money or a top draft pick to fix, and instead McClendon grabbed the starting job at right tackle and never looked back.
It’s somewhat rare in the NFL for free agent acquisitions to immediately prove their worth on new teams;...
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