A lot of things have gone wrong for the Los Angeles Rams on offense this season. Between injuries, inefficient running and penalties, it’s been a struggle to get going on that side of the ball – a surprising development when you consider how much talent the Rams have on offense.
But two things have been the root issue for Los Angeles’ inability to put up points consistently: third down and red zone efficiency. Entering Week 13, the Rams ranked 25th in red zone touchdown percentage and 31st in third-down conversion rate.
On Sunday against the Saints, the Rams made huge strides in both areas. After going 0-for-8 on third down last week and starting Sunday’s game 0-for-2, the Rams moved the chains on four of their final seven third-down attempts to finish the game 4-for-9 – a respectable rate, one that allowed them to sustain drives and put up points in the second half.
In the red zone, the Rams had really struggled in their first 11 games of the season, settling for field goal after field goal. That was particularly troublesome given Joshua Karty’s inaccuracy, missing one field goal in each of his previous three games.
Against the Saints, the Rams were 3-for-3 when reaching the red zone, scoring touchdowns all three times. In a game they won 21-14, that was the difference. Rather than kicking three field goals and only coming away with nine points, they scored three touchdowns. One was a rushing score by Kyren Williams from 4 yards out and the other two were short touchdown receptions by Demarcus Robinson and Puka Nacua.
In a game where the Rams only ran 55 offensive plays and attempted just 24 passes, they needed to be as efficient as possible when given scoring opportunities. And they were.
If the Rams can continue to move the chains on third down and score touchdowns in the red area, they can be competitive against any team. That’s just a big “if” at this point in the year because as we’ve seen week in and week out, the offense is wildly inconsistent.
Sunday’s game was a step in the right direction and could lead to improvements from the offense as a whole. They’ll be tested in a big way against the 10-2 Bills, who are eighth in red zone defense but only 20th in third-down conversion rate allowed.
The Rams must score touchdowns instead of field goals this Sunday, given the fact that the Bills have scored at least 30 points in six straight games and boast one of the best offenses in the league.