Turf Show Times
When you think of the 2025 Los Angeles Rams, the offensive side of the ball is the first thing that comes to mind. This is a unit led by quarterback Matthew Stafford. That’s the same Stafford that outdid MVP Josh Allen last season, throwing for 320-yards and two touchdowns. Puka Nacua was the most efficient wide receiver last season and the team added Davante Adams. Kyren Williams has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL. As a whole, the Rams offense is led by Sean McVay who is one of the best offensive minds in football.
However, it’s hard not to wonder whether or not it is the young defense that will need to be the unit that carries this roster. That’s not to say that the offense doesn’t have the potential to be good or can’t be great. Still, it’s also hard to ignore the inconsistencies that date back to last season, combined with Matthew Stafford’s back issue and the questions surrounding Alaric Jackson’s availability.
As Diante Lee from The Ringer recently wrote about Stafford,
“While he’s flashed in spurts since his championship year in 2021, Stafford’s mid-to-late 30s haven’t been nearly as prolific as what we’ve seen from passers such as Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady in their age-35-plus seasons. Given the slow start to training camp, it’s fair to wonder what sort of ceiling Stafford could hit now, at age 37.”
There is certainly context needed for that lack of consistency from Stafford, starting with injuries to the offensive line and his receivers. At the same time, the Rams quarterback has lacked consistency when the offense has been healthy. The Rams simply haven’t gotten a full, consistent season from Stafford since the Super Bowl run. From Weeks 7-13, Stafford was seventh in success rate last season, but following the prolific Bills game he ranked 20th. As a whole, the Rams offense was 13th in offense EPA per play from Weeks 7-13 before dropping to 20th in Weeks 15-17.
From a quarterbacking and play-calling perspective, the Rams offense hasn’t been the consistent juggernaut that is to be expected from a McVay-led unit. Again, given the questions to the quarterback and left tackle positions, it’s in the realm of possibility that the offense has a similar slow start as the past two seasons.
At some point, father time catches up with everybody. In Peyton Manning’s final season, he had lost all velocity on his passes. Had the Denver Broncos not had one of the best defenses of the 21st century, they very likely don’t win the Super Bowl in Manning’s final season.
It’s worth noting that Manning had the degenerative nerve in his neck and had torn a plantar fascia in his left foot. With that said, nobody knows how Stafford’s back will react to getting hit or how it will affect him on a week-to-week basis during the grind of the regular season.
Towards the end of 2024, the Rams defense...
