There are many things Rams fans can point to when trying to understand how they lost their wild-card matchup against the Lions. One could blame the refs, but it’s clear that Los Angeles could not score in the red zone nor could they stop Detroit’s offense from jumping out to a quick start.
Outside of Matthew Stafford, their established stars did not step up, leading to an offseason of questions and decisions. The Rams went 0-for-3 in the red zone, kicking three short field goals with no touchdowns that came inside the 20. Typically, the Rams redzone threat is Cooper Kupp, but he looked like a shell of himself against the Lions, hauling in five catches for only 27 yards. One must ask if he’ll ever be the standout receiver he was just three years ago and if not, what does the organization do with him in the future?
Aaron Donald was bullied by Detroit’s offensive line. The star defensive tackle was constantly pushed off the line of scrimmage and on passing plays, he was limited in his abilities. Finishing the game with one tackle, his lack of a presence allowed Jared Goff to have a monster performance. With 2024 being a contract year for Donald and the fact he’s already flirted with retirement, his future is as unclear as it’s ever been.
Despite their hot start, the Rams did hold the Lions to only three second-half points. What Raheem Morris has done with such a young and inexperienced roster should be commended and considering he has head coaching interviews to complete, Sean McVay may have to find a new defensive coordinator.
The Rams have very clear needs at a variety of positions. With a first-round pick in hand and an expected $48 million dollars in cap space, a massive overhaul to a roster filled with aging starts and promising youth could be coming. Perhaps McVay might change up some of his key coaching positions, as well.
With the 2023 season wrapped up in bitter defeat, the only guarantee is that there are no guarantees. With yet another year taken off of an already-aging Matthew Stafford, perhaps we may be on the verge of another era of “F them picks.”
Only time will tell.