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Why has the Rams’ offense struggled to find consistency in 2024?
There is one word that can describe the Los Angeles Rams offense throughout the 2024 season — inconsistent. While there have been moments where they have looked like a top-5 offense, there have been just as many moments where they have looked bottom-5. On Sunday against the Patriots, they couldn’t finish drives in the first quarter, only to score 28 points over the next 30 minutes. The Rams offense then disappeared once again in the fourth quarter.
The Rams offense this season has been a series of peaks and valleys. While the peaks have been impressive, the valleys leave those watching wondering what’s broken. Through the first five games of the season, the Rams offense ranked 18th in EPA per play and fourth in success rate. Essentially, the offense was moving the ball on a per-play basis very well, but not finishing drives. Since the bye week, they rank just 16th in EPA per play and 11th in success rate. With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy, the offense has been slightly better as a unit but worse on a per-play basis.
Most concerning has been the run game. Prior to the bye week, the Rams had one of the best running games in the NFL. They ranked fourth in EPA per play and led the NFL in rushing success rate. Despite getting healthier on the offensive line, the Rams have had a bottom-5 rushing offense, ranking 28th in EPA per play and 25th in rushing success rate.
It’s an offense that continually shoots itself in the foot, but the problems run much deeper than that. The offense too often looks the same among its playmakers, and the explosive plays simply haven’t been there like they have in the past. The passing game and run game have almost been two separate entities rather than being married together. That’s what made the new-look offense so successful last season.
Everything right now looks almost disjointed. Of course, the injuries to the offensive line and lack of continuity in offensive personnel are partially to do with that. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense that the offense is getting healthier but still getting worse in some areas.
Offense almost seems hard, which is unlike a typical Sean McVay-coached team. The biggest example of this is how they have started games this year. In seven games this season, the Rams have failed to score a point in the first quarter. Even last year, when they dealt with injuries, the Rams scored on their first possession in 11 out of 15 games with Matthew Stafford at quarterback.
The big question here is why?
Everything seems harder right now because it is. The Rams offense has the eighth-most plays per drive in the NFL with an explosive play rate of just 8.1 percent. Their 8.1 percent explosive play rate ranks just inside the bottom-10 at 23rd in the NFL. For comparison, last year, the...
