NFC Postseason Spotlight: LA Rams

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Saints in overtime on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl. Last week we took a look at the Saints, so this week we’ll focus our spotlight on the Rams. They’re 24-8 under Sean McVay two seasons into his post-Redskins coaching tenure. Let’s take a look at how they’ve done that.

This year, the Rams were the #2 offense behind only the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs. They’re #2 for points (and over 100 points above the #3 slot, Tampa Bay), #5 for passing and #3 for rushing.

Jared Goff is a very good quarterback. This was his 3rd season with the team and he’s steadily improved through each. Earlier this year, Goff turned in the best performance of his career in a 465-yard, five touchdown game against the Vikings. In his most recent win against the Saints, Goff quietly led the team to victory, zipping passes to Brandin Cooks, Josh Reynolds, and Tyler Higbee. His only intercepted pass was tipped.

Goff is a solid quarterback who makes quick reads and good decisions. His passing statistics show a proclivity for the deep ball. He took a year to live up to his draft billing, but since then has played quite well. He’s part of the reason the Rams complete 44% of their 3rd down conversion attempts.

Sean McVay likes to mix up his personnel. This creates a variety of looks designed to exploit specific defensive weaknesses. It also bolsters the play-action game, at which the Rams excel. The Rams have a great crop of receivers all willing to block, and with Todd Gurley’s versatile skillset also in play, McVay has a ton of offensive options.

Todd Gurley is the perfect back for McVay and the Rams. He’s got the speed to beat defenders around the edge and the power to run right up the middle. He’s got pass catching skills and the ability to block. Gurley scored a rushing touchdown in every game this year except for 2, and caught 4 passing touchdowns. Some of this is due to the Rams’ offensive line, which is top ranked this year for run blocking. It’s good in pass protection too, with a relatively low sack count.

The bottom line of the Rams offense is versatility. Few names along their offensive line garner much recognition, but they’re solid players. The key here is having a ton of weapons, a quarterback that makes quick reads and accurate throws, and a crop of players that can block to get the running game going.

Defensively, the Rams struggled at times through the year. They came out 14th in passing defense, 23rd for rushing defense, and 20th for points. During the regular season, the Rams allowed the highest YPC average in the entire league.

Still, the defense came on more as the season progressed. Aaron Donald is one of the top tackles in the league and DE Dante Fowler is a force to be reckoned with at times, just as he was against the Saints when his play partially earned the Rams a trip to the Super Bowl. Nose tackle Ndamukong Suh, combined with the other two, rounds out a trio of fierce front-7 players. These guys can create havoc for opposing quarterbacks.

The unit started strong against the Raiders, Cardinals, and Chargers but stumbled a bit during the middle of the season. Then, towards the end of the season and heading into the playoffs, they started to hit their stride. In December, the Rams kept opposing teams under 327 per game, which was good for a top five ranking league-wide.

In the backfield are highly touted corners Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Talib spent a large part of the season injured but has since returned. After Talib’s return, the Rams allowed a cumulative opposing passer rating of 74.5; third-best in the league. Peters also plays better with Talib on the field. It’s an imposing secondary for any offense to contend with, let alone one dealing with Aaron Donald, Suh, and Fowler up front.

The Rams are a very good and well-coached offensive team. Defensively, they’re eye-popping on paper but have actually struggled at times this year. Part of that is injury, part of that is the caliber of teams they’ve faced, and part of it is seemingly Wade Phillip’s inability to pull it all together. Still, they’re peaking now when it matters the most.

What can we learn from the Rams? Adaptability. The Rams know how to make adjustments, create matchups, and pull themselves out of a mid-season defensive slump. McVay has talked repeatedly about how this Rams team really came together on its own, more than it was born of some comprehensive plan he brought to Los Angeles. He analyzed his team, noted unique abilities, and created a system that lets players do what they do best. If the defense can play at a high level against Tom Brady, the Rams will be a Super Bowl team.