Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams are at the midseason point, having played the first nine games of the season. With 17 games, there isn’t necessarily a defined midseason point. However, nine games in and before the Rams enter an important stretch seems like as good as a place as any to split the season. The awards included here are all of the main NFL awards in addition to a few fun ones. Let’s jump right into it.
It should be no surprise that Matthew Stafford is the Rams’ MVP up to this point of the season. At 37 years old, Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career. The Rams offense ranks third in EPA per play and Stafford is a big reason for that. Through nine games, Stafford has thrown 25 touchdowns to two interceptions to go with 2400 yards passing. He led a fourth quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts and put the Rams in position to win both games that they’ve lost.
The Rams are 7-2 in large part because Stafford is playing the most efficient football of his career. He has the most big-time throws this season and is playing within the offense. For the first time in his career, it doesn’t feel as if Stafford is trying to do too much and force things that may not be available. There is much less hero-ball, but that doesn’t mean Stafford still isn’t doing the special things he’s capable of. He’s simply doing it within the offensive structure.
The last few weeks have certainly impacted the way Puka Nacua’s 2025 is viewed as well as by his injury. However, it’s important to remember that this is someone that was on pace to surpass Cooper Kupp’s receptions and yards from his triple crown season. When the Rams need a play, they go to Nacua. He is still the most important player in the offense. From Weeks 1-6, Nacua ranked second in yards per route at 3.54 while leading the NFL in receptions. Nacua was also second in first downs per route.
It will be interesting to see how Nacua’s usage changes over the second half of the season when the Rams line up in 13 personnel. Most of the time, the wide receiver on the field has been Davante Adams or a speed guy like Xavier Smith or Konata Mumpfield. That may not be a bad thing though as the Rams look to keep Nacua fresh. Since the bye week, Nacua has only ran 44 routes and ranks 12th in receptions, but he is still efficient with over three yards per route.
While it would be nice to put Jared Verse here, the answer is very clearly Nate Landman. An argument could also be made for Byron Young who leads the Rams in sacks. This isn’t to say that Verse has had a bad season, but Landman has been special. When...
