Tag: Rams offense

Rams’ red zone struggles are a problem, but they can’t score long TDs either

It’s well known that the Rams have had trouble in the red zone, but they’re also one of just two teams without a 20-yard TD this season

The Los Angeles Rams’ offense has been off all season. They rank 20th in yards per game and 23rd in scoring, a big reason for the team’s 2-4 start. Much of the attention has gone to the red zone where the Rams have only scored touchdowns on 11 of their 23 trips – the eighth-worst rate in the NFL.

But despite their ineptitude inside the 20, their inability to create big plays for touchdowns is equally concerning. There are exactly two teams in the NFL that have yet to score a touchdown from outside the red zone this season: the Broncos and Rams.

That’s not the company Los Angeles wants to keep and it’s a reflection of how poorly the team has done when it comes to creating explosive plays. It’s not just long touchdowns that they’ve struggled to create, either. It’s long plays in general.

Through Week 6, the Rams had just seven rushes of 10-plus yards and 15 passes of 20-plus yards. Only one team had fewer long runs and only nine teams had fewer 20-yard passes through Week 6 than the Rams.

It’s reminiscent of 2020 when the offense was stuck in neutral under Jared Goff, forced to dink and dunk its way down the field and sustain long drives.

It’s hard to create big plays when the majority of the passes thrown by Matthew Stafford – who has one of the biggest arms in the NFL – are at or near the line of scrimmage.

Take a look at his passing chart against the Raiders, which shows he went 12-for-13 on passes within 6 yards of the line of scrimmage and only 2-for-10 on throws 7-plus yards downfield.

This is all a combination of a few things that have hurt the Rams offense. First and foremost, the absence of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua has obviously taken a toll. The Rams are lacking playmakers at wide receiver, which is not only leading to fewer plays, but it’s also allowing defenses to play more aggressively in coverage, knowing they’re unlikely to be beat downfield by receivers.

Secondly, the offensive line has gone through several changes already, both due to injury and poor performance. As a result, Stafford has less time in the pocket, so he’s unable to hold the ball and allow downfield routes to develop.

The return of Kupp this week should help, but it’s not as if he’s a particularly explosive receiver, either. At least he can separate from defenders and create yardage after the catch, which will hopefully lead to the Rams’ first long touchdown of the season.

Sean McVay takes blame for Rams’ recent red zone struggles

Sean McVay said he takes “full responsibility” for the Rams’ recent red zone struggles, an issue that has really frustrated him

For the most part, the Los Angeles Rams have been quite good in the red zone this season. They rank 10th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage, finding the end zone 60.5% of the time.

However, in Sunday’s win over the Washington Commanders, they went just 1-for-3 in the red zone, including a 1-for-3 mark in goal-to-go situations. It was the second time in as many weeks that Sean McVay curiously abandoned the run when it was moving the ball well, calling three straight pass plays before settling for a field goal.

He was asked about the Rams’ recent red zone struggles – as minor as they might be – on Monday and he took full responsibility. He admitted his play calling near the goal line angered him, and he vowed to be better in Thursday’s game against the Saints.

“Yeah, the main thing that I was really pissed off about myself was the first down and five call on the first drive of the game,” McVay said. “There are always going to be some things that you can get into, but we had run it really well on the previous play. We had run it really well on that drive. When you take a negative right there, didn’t need to do that. I thought that was a really poor play call that set us behind the sticks. There are a lot of instances of things that you can always do better, but I thought that first sequence, in particular, that we ended up having to settle for a field goal, the way that our guys were playing, the way we were able to run it, the way Matthew (Stafford) was seeing the field, thought it was a much better opportunity to … I could have put them in a better spot that I think would’ve led to seven instead of three.”

McVay admitted last week that against the Ravens, the defense made a concerted effort to stop the run in the red zone after the Rams handed it off nine straight times on their opening drive. That led to three passes in a row by Stafford, resulting in a field goal.

He isn’t going to call a running play for the sake of calling it, especially if the defense is loading the box to stop the run. That may have been the case against the Commanders on Sunday, but there was little reason to go away from Kyren Williams when he was running it so well.

“Each play, each section is kind of its own entity. But there is no doubt about it that yesterday, that one in particular could have been better,” McVay added. “I think there were some different reasons for some of the Baltimore things that I don’t want to get too much into, but ultimately it’s my job and our job as coaches to try to do as good a job as we can putting our guys in the right situations to thrive and succeed. I’m never going to shy away from the times that I can be better. Certainly, those instances that you’re talking about, I take full ownership and accountability for and that is where you go back to work and you try to make sure not to repeat those mistakes.”

Multiple times this season, McVay has mentioned the positive effect running the ball and getting the offensive linemen going downhill has on the offense, which is why he was so angray at himself for going away from that in the red zone Sunday.

“You’re being a little hypocritical and you kind of got away from some of your foundational beliefs, especially with the way that our guys were playing and try to pride yourself in having a good feel for the flow of the game,” he said of himself. “In that drive, in particular in that first down and five call, I thought that was something that hurt us and look to improve and that is something I’ll try to do for Thursday.”

Rams have overcome lack of takeaways, poor field position with highly efficient offense

The Rams are the only team in the NFL that hasn’t started a drive in opponent territory, yet the offense is still scoring at a high rate

For as well as the Los Angeles Rams have played through four games, they could be even better if the defense forced a few more turnovers. The Rams have just two takeaways up to this point, which is tied for the fifth-fewest in the NFL.

As a result, the offense’s average starting field position is their own 26.4-yard line, which is also the fifth-worst in the league. Defensively, teams are starting at their own 32.3-yard line on average against the Rams, which ranks 30th in football.

So not only are the Rams starting drives with awful field position on a weekly basis, but the defense is also being put in tough spots because of turnovers by the offense and missed field goals by Brett Maher.

In fact, Los Angeles is the only team in the NFL that hasn’t started a single drive in its opponent’s territory. The Bills, meanwhile, have had eight such drives, the most in football.

It’s honestly impressive the Rams are even 13th in points scored and 15th in points allowed despite these troubling stats. The way they’ve overcome it is with efficient play on offense and long, sustained drives.

The Rams have run the most plays in the NFL (286) through four weeks, average the second-most plays per drive (7.02), the sixth-most yards per drive (36.5) and the eighth-most points per possession (2.3). Of their 43 offensive possessions this season, 48.8% have ended in points, which is the sixth-best rate in the league.

What’s helped Los Angeles maintain these long possessions is a high conversion rate on third down, moving the chains 43.9% of the time, which ranks eighth in football.

It may not seem like a major accomplishment to rank 13th in points scored through four weeks, but when you’re starting deep in your own territory as often as the Rams are, it makes that stat all the more impressive.

At some point, the defense will have to increase its takeaway count. Los Angeles only has one interception, a miraculous play by Ahkello Witherspoon against the Bengals, and one fumble recovery, which came against the Colts.

If the defense can start forcing more turnovers and giving the offense some short fields to work with, the Rams will put up even more point and hopefully lead to more wins.

It’s astonishing how bad the Rams are on early downs compared to every other team

There are the Rams, and then there’s everyone else

Nothing seems to be getting better for the Los Angeles Rams on offense. In fact, things are just getting worse. Cooper Kupp is out 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury, Matthew Stafford may have suffered his second concussion in two weeks and the offensive line has started 10 different groups in 10 games.

Sean McVay has often talked about the Rams’ inefficiency on first and second down, which has made third down a huge challenge. This chart from Ben Baldwin shows just how bad the Rams have been on early downs this season, and they’ve separated themselves even further from the rest of the NFL since the last time we checked a month ago.

Running the ball well on first and second down can make third down a lot easier. The Rams haven’t been terrible on third down, all things considered – they rank 17th in conversion rate – but they’ve also struggled to sustain drives in large part because of their poor numbers on first and second.

Entering Week 11, the Rams rank 32nd in rushing attempts, 31st in yards and 31st in yards per carry. That’s after they rushed for a season-high 148 yards against the Saints on Sunday, too.

It’s going to be a painful final seven weeks of the season in Los Angeles.

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Sean McVay searching for answers to Rams’ inconsistency on offense

The Rams have only scored more than 30 points once in their last nine games.

One week, the Rams look like a top-five team in the NFL with an offense that can both run the ball and gain big yardage after the catch. The next, they’re losing to the Jets. After starting the season strong offensively, scoring 30 points in three of their first five games, the Rams have eclipsed that number just once in their last nine.

A lack of consistency on offense has plagued this team, wasting what’s become one of the best defenses in football. Finding steady play on that side of the ball has been painfully difficult, and even Sean McVay doesn’t know the solution right now. He was asked how to improve the team’s consistency, but that’s an answer he’s looking for himself.

“If I had the answer, that’s something that we’re always striving for,” he said Monday. “I think it’s really just starting fast and finishing strong.”

One area where the Rams have been consistent is turning the ball over. They’ve given it away at least once in every single game this season, which is something just one other team (Broncos) has done. No other team has more than 12 games with at least one turnover.

That’s not an area where the Rams want to be consistent, but it’s certainly played a factor in the offense struggling to get anything going from week to week. The same can’t be said about the defense, which has played at a high level all season. The Rams haven’t allowed more than 28 points since Week 3, which is the only time they’ve given up at least 30.

“I think there’s been moments in games where you’ve seen good consistency, offensively, throughout and then there’s been moments when it hasn’t been,” McVay said. “I think that’s the same thing with special teams. Then for the most part, defense has been pretty consistent. It’s about putting all three phases together. I think we’ve shown glimpses of doing that, which is why I think we’ve won enough games to be relevant at this point, but it is something that we’ve got to be able to get ahold on and there’s different reasons for it. We’ve got to play consistently well at the key spots and usually when we do that, good things happen.”

The best we’ve seen the offense – and really, the entire team – play in the second half of the season was against the Cardinals. They threw for 344 yards, rushed for 119 and only turned it over once, putting up 38 points in a 10-point win over Arizona.

That, coupled with the team’s Week 14 win over the Patriots, had hopes higher for the Rams. But after getting stymied by the Jets, gaining only 303 yards on offense, their arrow is once again pointing down.

Heading into the final two weeks of the season against the Seahawks and Cardinals, the Rams better hope they can find some semblance of stability before a postseason run, otherwise their exit will be rather early in January.

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Rams run more max-protect plays than any team in the NFL

They’ve tried to create big plays, but it just hasn’t paid off yet.

The Rams have created some big plays this season, but those have mostly come either on the ground or when receivers find seams after the catch. Rarely has Jared Goff connected with his receivers deep downfield, but it’s not for a lack of effort.

Matt Bowen of ESPN pointed out that the Rams run more max-protect plays than any team in the league, a rate of 20.6% – 3.9% higher than the second-ranked Patriots. Those plays typically consist of only two routes being run, oftentimes deep because the quarterback should have time in the pocket with at least seven blockers in front of him.

Goff’s average depth of target remains low at only 7.2 yards, but Sean McVay has tried to create plays downfield. They just haven’t been there, forcing Goff to either check down or scramble.

It doesn’t help that the Rams lack a burner like Brandin Cooks, but Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds are plenty fast enough to get behind cornerbacks. They just haven’t done so consistently enough to connect with Goff.

Hopefully McVay cooked up some new ideas during the bye week to create opportunities downfield for his receivers because the Rams can’t keep relying on yards after the catch all season long.

 

 

Sean McVay not overly concerned about Rams’ run-pass balance

He’s more worried about being efficient on offense.

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Coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, Rams fans everywhere were questioning Sean McVay for his play calling. They wondered why he abandoned the run and had Jared Goff throw 61 passes against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.

It’s a valid question, and has been for quite some time. McVay has a habit of turning to Goff and the aerial attack too quickly, rather than sticking with what’s worked: the running game. The Rams handed it off to their running backs 27 times against the Dolphins, but that pales in comparison to the number of times Goff dropped back to pass.

McVay was asked Monday about maintaining balance on offense with the run and pass, and it doesn’t seem to be a concern for him. He’s not focused on making sure the Rams run the ball a certain number of times, because game plans change based on what defenses do.

That can even change at the line of scrimmage if Goff and McVay recognize that the defense is trying to take away the run.

“In a lot of instances, based on the play that we have where we’ll call a run a lot of times and then the other play that we have activated based on certain looks could go to a pass,” he told reporters. “So, you might have the intent to call a run, but in some instances, it ends up being a pass based on the defensive structure. That’s pretty consistent with how we operate week in and week out. It just really depends what the defensive looks which sometimes elicit a certain response from us.”

Part of the reason McVay brought in Kevin O’Connell is to get another set of eyes on the sideline and throughout the week while game planning. O’Connell can help keep McVay honest when it comes to maintaining balance, if the Rams start to stray too heavily in one direction or the other.

McVay says he and his coaches talk about balance, but they’re more concerned with being efficient and scoring points, regardless of how it gets done.

“I think ultimately what it’s about is the execution and moving the football and scoring points. We have to do more of that,” McVay continued. “As of late, I think we’ve done enough, with the exception of yesterday, to be in some good positions. Really overall, I want to see us score more points, be more efficient snap in and snap out. I’m not as concerned about the run-pass balance as I am of the overall offensive efficiency and scoring points.”

Sunday was the first time this season that Goff attempted more than 38 pass attempts. For the most part, the Rams have been balanced on offense, even if it seems like McVay gives up on the run too quickly. They’re fourth in rushing attempts and 13th in pass attempts, which is a much better split than the one they had last year (3rd-most pass attempts, 18th in rushing attempts).

 

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Bye week comes at perfect time for struggling Rams

The Rams have issues to fix during their week off, while injured players will also benefit from extra rest.

Sometimes, a break is exactly what a team needs. The Rams certainly hope that’s the case after losing two of their last three games heading into their Week 9 bye.

Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins was especially painful, given the way they lost the game. The Rams outgained Miami by 326 yards, held the Dolphins to only 145 yards of total offense and controlled the clock for most of the afternoon. What the Rams lacked was an identity and balance on offense, resulting in 61 pass attempts and four turnovers, all by Jared Goff.

Fortunately, they’ll have an extra week to review the film, gather themselves and get ready for a grueling second half of the season. Coming out of the bye, the Rams will immediately face the Seahawks, Bucs, 49ers and Cardinals. Preparation for the Seahawks in Week 10 will be key, considering how unprepared the Rams looked for Miami’s blitz packages and unrelenting pressure.

In the last three weeks, the Rams have scored a total of 57 points, which averages out to less than 20 points per game. They now rank just 21st in scoring after averaging 27.2 points per game in the first five weeks.

To be clear, it’s not the defense that needs a break. The defense hasn’t allowed a second-half touchdown since Week 3 and gave up zero points in the final 30 minutes of Sunday’s game. The Dolphins’ longest drive was 33 yards and three of their four touchdowns were either on the special teams unit or the direct result of Goff’s turnovers.

The defense ranks third in scoring and second in yards allowed, proving to be one of the best groups anywhere in football. But the offense has gotten in a rut lately with Goff throwing for fewer than 250 yards in three of his last five games.

The Rams will also benefit from the bye on the injury front. Jordan Fuller is expected to be back in Week 10 after missing the last three games. A’Shawn Robinson will make his debut against the Seahawks after being activated Saturday. Darrell Henderson injured his thigh against the Dolphins and the severity is not yet known, but the extra week of rest will definitely help.

The combination of added rest and an extra week to prepare for the Seahawks – while primarily trying to fix the issues on offense – will hopefully get the Rams back on track. If they come out flat in Week 10 with no offensive identity again, they could be in for a long November and December.

PFF: Rams have 4th-best offense in NFL this season

PFF has given both the Rams offense and defense great grades this season.

While some may still doubt how good the Los Angeles Rams after facing the NFC East in four of their first five games, they could only play the teams on their schedule. And based on the way they performed against their first five opponents, they look like legitimate contenders in the NFC.

Pro Football Focus likes what it has seen from the Rams this season, with the analytics putting L.A. among the best offenses and defenses in the NFL. PFF’s EPA metric put the Rams defense fourth in the league, and based on grading, the offense is also in the top five.

PFF has graded the Rams offense out as the fourth-best in football, behind only the Seahawks, Packers and surprisingly, the Browns. The Vikings rank fifth to round out the top five.

Of PFF’s top five offenses, the Rams are the only team with a defense also ranked in the top five. In fact, none of the top five offenses listed above have a defense in the top 15 of PFF’s rankings. The Browns are the highest-ranked at No. 17. The Seahawks are 21st, the Vikings are 22nd and the Packers are 25th.

Coincidentally, the Rams are also fourth in both total yards and yards allowed this season, while also allowing just the third-fewest points in the NFL. This is a well-rounded team built for the postseason, even if their only wins have come against the lowly NFC East.

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Watch: Jared Goff goes up top to Robert Woods for a huge TD

Sean McVay continues to use pre-snap motion, and it pays off as Jared Goff hits Robert Woods for a huge touchdown.

So far this season, we at Touchdown Wire have been telling you over and over and over again that Sean McVay is going to force opposing defenses to pay attention to his pre-snap jet motion designs.

Maybe now people will listen:

On this play the Los Angeles Rams send wide receiver Robert Woods in jet motion prior to the snap. When the play begins, quarterback Jared Goff executes a play-action fake, showing the Washington defense an inside run. But the goal here is to take a deep shot down field, and Goff is looking for Woods, who is streaking along the sideline after executing his pre-snap movement. Goff comes out of his fake and immediately snaps his eyes towards Woods along the left sideline, who has gotten behind the coverage. They connect for the 56-yard scoring play.

This was Goff’s ninth passing attempt of the day, and his ninth-straight completion. This one though was his biggest of the day so far.

Maybe now we’ll start paying attention to the motion?