Category: Latest Rams news

Close games didn’t go Rams’ way in 2019 and it cost them a playoff spot

The Rams were 0-4 in “coin-flip games” this season and it cost them a playoff berth.

There were a lot of differences between the Rams’ 2018 and 2019 seasons. The running game took a major step back this year, as did Jared Goff and the offensive line. The special teams unit also underperformed, which played a significant role in the team’s overall issues.

But something not many people are talking about is the Rams’ performance in close games. In 2018, they went 6-1 in games decided by one possession. This season, their record was 3-3, and that includes a meaningless Week 17 win over the Cardinals.

In the NFL, every game matters, and had one or two of those close losses gone the Rams’ way instead of their opponents’, Los Angeles would probably be preparing for a playoff game right now.

FiveThirtyEight dug even further into this development and looked at every game where ESPN’s win-probability model was within 40-60% in the last five minutes of regulation. In other words, games that could’ve gone either way because both teams had a good chance to win.

The Rams were 0-4 in such games, the worst record of any team in the league. Had those “coin-flip games,” as writer Ty Schalter calls them, been reversed, the Rams would’ve finished the year 13-3.

If only, right?

It’s easy to look back on the year and statistics such as that one and say there are a million “what-if” scenarios that could’ve helped the Rams or countless other teams. But coin-flip games are ones that don’t entirely come down to luck. Quarterback play is a big factor, as is special teams (Greg Zuerlein missed a game-winner against the Seahawks) and clock management.

On the other side of the coin, no pun intended, the 49ers and Seahawks were both excellent in close games. The Seahawks were 5-1 in coin-flip games, while the 49ers were a whopping 7-3. Reverse those records and Seattle finishes 7-9, while the 49ers go 9-7 with the Rams winning the division at 13-3.

Again: If only, right?

The Rams must be better in close games next season if they want to get back to the playoffs. Going 0-4 in such games is unacceptable, especially for a team led by Jared Goff, Sean McVay, Todd Gurley and a trio of talented receivers.

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Watch: Rams players and coaches reflect on top 5 moments at Coliseum

The Rams say goodbye to the Coliseum by ranking the top 5 moments there since 2016.

The Rams moved back to Los Angeles in 2016 knowing they’d be getting a new stadium a few years later. While awaiting the opening of their new home, the Rams played four seasons at the Coliseum – returning to the stadium where they had previously spent more than 30 years from 1946-1979.

The first season back was a forgettable one as the Rams went 4-12 and fired Jeff Fisher, but the last three years have been quite the ride.

Last week’s win over the Cardinals was the Rams’ final game at the Coliseum, sending fans home with a victory against a division rival. To commemorate the team’s second stint at the Coliseum, the Rams shared the top five moments at the historic stadium since returning in 2016.

Players and coaches reflected on each moment, sharing their thoughts on the game and what they remember most.

5. Home opener in 2016

4. Win over Vikings in 2018

3. McVay’s first game in 2017

2. Win over Cowboys in 2018 playoffs

1. Epic 54-51 win over Chiefs

It was only four years, but the Rams had a lot of memorable moments at the Coliseum. Now, they’ll move to SoFi Stadium this year for the upcoming season and attempt to create as many great moments as they did at the Coliseum.

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Andrew Whitworth got more blocking help than any LT this season

Andrew Whitworth’s double-team rate was higher than any other LT in the NFL.

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Andrew Whitworth got off to a shaky start this season, just as the entire Rams offensive line did. He struggled out of the gates, not only committing several penalties, but failing to keep pass rushers away from Jared Goff.

He turned it around as the year went on, but part of the reason for that was the help he received on the left side of the line. Whitworth only allowed one sack all season, which is an impressive feat for any left tackle, let alone a 38-year-old.

He also got more help than any other left tackle in the league in 2019, which is a surprising revelation. It wasn’t particularly close, either.

As you can see on the following chart from Seth Walder, Whitworth is all by himself on the top right. Being high on the graph is a good thing – it indicates a high strong pass-rush win rate – but appearing on the right side of the axis also means he and another player doubled a pass rusher more than anyone else.

There’s no doubt the Rams used their tight ends and backs to chip pass rushers often this season. However, most of the help went to the right side with Bobby Evans. The Rams used a lot of two-tight end sets down the stretch, which had Johnny Mundt lining up next to Whitworth, but it’s surprising how high the double-team rate was.

Los Angeles would also use the left guard sometimes to help out Whitworth, rather than keeping the veteran on an island by himself. Perhaps the Rams no longer feel comfortable leaving Whitworth on his own, which could impact whether he’s back in uniform next season.

Even still, Whitworth finished the season with the second-highest pass-block win rate of any offensive tackle in football

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Rams DT Aaron Donald named first-team All-Pro for 5th time

Aaron Donald has been selected as a first-team All-Pro in five straight years.

Aaron Donald was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl this season after recording 12.5 sacks and a league-high 20 tackles for loss, but he can now add another honor to his 2019 resume, as well. For the fifth straight year, Donald has been selected as a first-team All-Pro.

He was the only Rams player to make the cut, being selected as an interior defensive lineman with Cam Heyward.

Donald is the first player in NFL history to be named a first-team All-Pro five times in his first six seasons. J.J. Watt came close to accomplishing that feat, being selected four times in his first five years. Luke Kuechly was a five-time All-Pro in his first seven seasons, as well.

Donald has a strong case to win Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, but he has some stiff competition with Stephon Gilmore, T.J. Watt and Chandler Jones. Even if he doesn’t win, Donald remains one of the most dominant defensive players in the league, as evidenced by his six straight Pro Bowls and five consecutive All-Pro selections.

Though he was the only Rams player selected, Marcus Peters was also a first-team All-Pro for the Ravens. He spent the first half of the season with the Rams but was traded to Baltimore in October.

No other Rams players were selected to the second team, either. Cooper Kupp received three votes at the “flex” position, while Cory Littleton received one vote as a special teams player.

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Rams’ 6 biggest offseason roster needs

The Rams must address these six positions this offseason.

(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Rams are starting their offseason work earlier than expected, having missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The coaching staff will be evaluated, as will the roster and upcoming free agents.

There will be holes opened up across the depth chart, including a few at some very important positions. The core is still intact at quarterback, running back and cornerback, while Aaron Donald’s presence at defensive tackle is always reassuring for the defensive line.

These six positions will most likely need some attention this offseason, depending on how free agency shakes out. They’re the Rams’ six biggest roster needs in 2020.

Left tackle

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This is the big one. Andrew Whitworth is 38 and set to hit free agency. He’s expressed a desire to play another season in 2020, but it’s unclear if the Rams will bring him back or move on to a cheaper, younger option. Joseph Noteboom is a candidate to take over for Whitworth, but he played guard this season and has a lot of improving to do before he’s ready for a full-time starting job at left tackle.

Bobby Evans and David Edwards should also be in the mix if Whitworth leaves, considering both played tackle in college and were cross-trained by Aaron Kromer at every position but center last year.

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Are the Rams subtly teasing their new color scheme for 2020?

The Rams appear to be sending tiny hints about their new color scheme for 2020.

When the Los Angeles Rams move to SoFi Stadium next season, they’ll do so with a refreshed look. Not only will they be getting new uniforms this year, but the helmets will be updated, the colors will change and the logo will look different.

That’s all been confirmed by Rams COO Kevin Demoff, which has fans both excited and anxious to see what their team will look like in 2020 and beyond.

A large contingent of fans wants the Rams to keep their throwback uniforms as the permanent ones, tweaking the away jerseys to match the blue and yellow color scheme. Others would like to see the team go back to the navy and white look from the early ‘70s.

While the Rams have only said the updates will honor the team’s history with a modern take, there have been no hints as to what the colors or uniforms will look like.

Or have there been?

Fans on Reddit and Twitter are convinced the Rams are subtly hinting that their new color scheme will be navy and yellow. Recently, the team has used more of those colors on social media, which has alerted some fans.

This tweet from the Rams celebrating the new year is particularly interesting, given the navy and yellow colors.

The same goes for this one.

Additionally, the Rams handed out rally towels for the upcoming SoFi Stadium, which featured – you guessed it – navy and yellow colors.

This Rams Nation account on Twitter has a keen eye toward it all, noticing the trend.

On the team’s website, there are other subtle hints at the navy and yellow color scheme. The banner for downloading the app features those colors.

The top banner that reads “One House. One Dream” also uses those colors. So does the link to buy tickets for 2020, as well as the team’s official podcast, “Ramblin’.”

When the Rams announced Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce as Hall of Fame finalists on Thursday, they used the same colors in the graphics. Again.

The team’s Instagram account is littered with navy and yellow accents, as well. The graphics made by the Rams all use those colors, like this one recognizing Tyler Higbee’s season.

The only graphics that don’t feature the darker blue color are the ones they’ve been using all year – like this one from September…

…which they recycled in December, since they were pre-made using clips from Media Day before the season.

Going to navy and yellow would make a lot of sense. It features colors from every era. The navy matches what the Rams wore in St. Louis, as well as the 1960s and early ‘70s. The yellow honors the teams from 1973-1999.

The Rams already wear navy helmets, too, which don’t even match their throwback uniform colors. A switch to navy jerseys would tie the uniform together better without having to change the helmet much at all.

Several others on Twitter are noticing this trend toward navy and blue, thanks to the Rams’ subtle hints.

It shouldn’t be very long before we find out if the Rams ultimately will switch to navy and yellow, but the colors used on social media seem to be more than just a coincidence.

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Only one Rams player makes PFF’s 2019 All-Pro team

Aaron Donald was the lone representative this year.

It was an up-and-down season for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Although they finished with a respectable 9-7 record, they lost two of their last three games to miss the playoffs.

Individually, they had all the talent needed to win a Super Bowl, but for whatever reason, they couldn’t put it together consistently enough. One of the most impressive individual players was of course Aaron Donald, who recorded 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss to lead the team.

He and Jalen Ramsey were the Rams’ only Pro Bowl selection, but only Donald made Pro Football Focus’ All-Pro team.

Here’s what the analytics site wrote about Donald’s performance.

The Rams weren’t nearly as good as a year ago, and Aaron Donald wasn’t chasing the sack record all season long, so his casual dominance barely registered in the NFL this season. But make no mistake, he was still among the best players in football. His final grade of 93.7 is still the fourth-best grade we have given an interior defender over the past decade, and it just falls short of the 95.6 he earned this time a season ago. Teams were better at mitigating his impact, but Donald still finished with 80 total pressures and 32 defensive stops.

Donald may not have put up the gaudy sack numbers he had a year ago when he led the NFL with 20.5, but he was still the Rams’ best defender and most valuable player. Without him, the defense would not have been nearly as consistent as it was.

He helped open things up for Clay Matthews and Dante Fowler Jr., who had 19.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits combined. There’s little doubt about where Donald stands among the best players in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl every year he’s been in the NFL and he’s on track to earn a fifth consecutive All-Pro selection, too.

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Rams share update on SoFi Stadium, which is 85% complete

SoFi Stadium is nearing completion with the Oculus video board currently being built inside.

The Rams’ tenure at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has officially come to an end after the team played its final game there on Sunday against the Cardinals. They spent the last four years with the Coliseum being their home stadium, but it was only temporary while their spectacular new venue was being built in Inglewood.

SoFi Stadium is nearing completion for the 2020 season and it looks incredible. It’s a state-of-the-art arena that will house the Rams and Chargers, as well as other offices for the NFL and NFL Network.

It will open this summer and on Thursday, Rams COO Kevin Demoff shared an update on the progress, saying it’s 85% complete.

Stan Kroenke’s vision to transform both the fan experience and our region will come to life this fall, reimagining gamedays for Angelenos and the entire NFL. SoFi Stadium will be a destination that will welcome Rams fans from around the world and is more than 85% complete, with the roof panel and seat installations underway. The Oculus, a first-of-its-kind 70,000 square foot double-sided display board with 4k video, is being assembled within the stadium. Our culinary experience, which will be uniquely Los Angeles and feature food made to order in front of your eyes, is being finalized. Additionally, we continue to focus on making this the best fan experience in the world with the latest technology, amazing partnerships, operational ease and our diehard fans. Last Friday, I toured 17 of our Season Ticket Members who make up our Rams Fan Council around the building and it was powerful to see first-hand their reaction to the stadium and invaluable to hear their ideas for what gamedays at the Rams House should be.

This year for the Rams will feature a lot of changes. In addition to the team moving into a new stadium, they’ll also get new uniforms, helmets, colors and an updated logo. Fans are understandably anxious and excited about the rebranding, but no one is worried about what games will be like at SoFi Stadium.

It’s going to be an incredible place to watch a football game, especially with the unique glass roof and Oculus scoreboard, which is being built inside the stadium right now.

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Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt among 15 Hall of Fame finalists for 2020

Torry Holt is a first-time finalist, while this is Isaac Bruce’s fourth time as one.

Two former Rams stars could be on their way to Canton this year. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 modern-era finalists for the 2020 class and both Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce made the cut.

This is Holt’s first time being a finalist, but Bruce is in familiar territory. This marks his fourth selection as a Hall of Fame finalist, making it each year dating back to 2017.

Bruce played for the Rams from 1994-2007, recording 942 catches for 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns in that span. He finished his career with the 49ers, catching 82 passes for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons.

Holt played 10 years with the Rams from 1999-2008. During that time, he caught 869 passes for 12,660 yards and 74 touchdowns. In his final NFL season with the Jaguars, he had 51 receptions for 722 yards.

They were both an integral part of the Greatest Show on Turf with the Rams, helping St. Louis win Super Bowl XXXIV. They also reached the Super Bowl following the 2001 season, but lost to the Patriots.

Holt was a seven-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in receiving twice. Bruce made the Pro Bowl four times and was No. 1 in receiving once in 1996. Holt’s shorter career hurts his case for Canton, but he was one of the most productive receivers during his playing days.

Rams COO confirms new uniforms, helmets, colors and logo are coming in 2020

In addition to new uniforms, the Rams will also have a redesigned helmet, logo and different colors in 2020.

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t just moving to a new stadium in 2020. They’re also getting a facelift as part of an overall identity rebranding for the franchise.

Next season, the Rams will hit the field with a new look. This includes updated colors, uniforms, as well as a new helmet and logo. The details of the changes haven’t yet been revealed, but they are confirmed to be coming.

Team COO Kevin Demoff sent a letter to fans on Thursday confirming all of those changes will be made next season. Here’s part of the letter, which can also be read in full on the team’s website.

In addition, this exciting time includes our new brand identity – from logos and colors to uniforms and helmets. These elements will tie to our deep roots in Los Angeles while also providing a sleek, modern look that fits with our new, world-class home. We are excited to share all of this with you over the coming months and see our players run out of the SoFi Stadium tunnel for the first time in our new uniforms as we kick off this next era of Los Angeles Rams football.

The Rams have frequently mentioned the desire to honor the franchise’s history, while also modernizing their look for the 21st century. Whether that means their new uniforms will be a tweak to the beloved throwbacks or an homage to the past with a white-and-blue look is yet to be determined, but we should find out soon enough.

The most interesting part of Demoff’s letter was the fact that the Rams are getting new helmets. The horn design on their helmets is one of the most iconic in the NFL, and it’s hard to imagine that changing much. But, if the the team goes with a new logo, would they consider putting that on the helmets instead?