There weren’t many people who accurately predicted the season that the Los Angeles Rams would have in 2023. They surprised a lot of people by going 10-7 and making the playoffs, exceeding most expectations in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
The outlook is much better in 2024, even following the retirement of Aaron Donald.
As such, USA Today’s Nate Davis sees the Rams finishing above .500 again and getting back to the playoffs for the second straight year. He released his record predictions for each team in the NFL and he has the Rams going 10-7, finishing second in the division and earning a wild-card spot.
Davis even predicts the Rams will win a playoff game, picking them over the third-seeded Eagles in the wild-card round.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. In the divisional round, Davis has the Rams losing to the top-seeded 49ers, who would be fresh off a bye and hosting Sean McVay’s squad at Levi’s Stadium.
(6) Los Angeles Rams (10-7): For the second straight year, they enter the season with major questions on defense – this time due to the retirement of Aaron Donald and the departure of Morris, who’d been the coordinator since 2021. But the Rams invested heavily on that side of the ball in the draft while reallocating copious cap resources into the offensive line. And if WR Cooper Kupp can play his first full season since a scintillating 2021 showing, LA could have the best receiver tandem in the league if Puka Nacua simply approaches his record-setting rookie effort. October could be a critical stretch given the Rams will be home the entire month.
The Rams expect to be in Super Bowl contention this year and their fans are hoping for the same, but another 10-7 season and a playoff win should be viewed as a successful season for Los Angeles. They’re still a very young team and overcoming the loss of Donald won’t be easy.
That being said, if Matthew Stafford, Kupp, Nacua and the offensive line all stay healthy, the Rams could have one of the most dangerous offenses in football. That might just be enough to overcome a defense that’s on the weaker side now that Donald is retired.
If you’re wondering who Davis has representing each conference in the Super Bowl, he picked the Packers in the NFC and the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets in the AFC, with New York emerging victorious as the Super Bowl winners in February.