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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.
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.
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:
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.
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,...
