The Rams are in a unique situation as they have multiple superstar talents and a fantastic QB, but they have massive holes all over the roster. Sean McVay is also one of the best head coaches in football, making this even more interesting. The most significant question mark isn’t even their holes, as Matthew Stafford may not be the same QB. The reports are he’s good to go, but we have no clue what that throwing arm will look like post-surgery.
Even if Stafford is fully back to normal, this team has massive question marks across their roster. The Rams had little capital to work with because they recently sold out to win a Super Bowl. While their plan paid off big time, it also had massive consequences. They now have some of the most depleted position groups in the league. On the bright side, some of the pieces here are phenomenal. It’ll still be a very entertaining team to watch on Sunday if Stafford is his usual self. I also wouldn’t expect them to make the playoffs, regardless of how Stafford turns out.
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Grading scale: 20-100.
(+): The player is expected to improve.
| Power Ranking – 21 | OVR Grade – 79.7 | Projected Wins – 6.4 |
| HC – Sean McVay | OC – Mike LaFleur | DC – Raheem Morris |
Despite last year’s massive disappointment, this coaching staff remains one of the NFL’s best. Sean McVay is one of the few elite play callers in football and is an enormous advantage for LA. Like LeFleur, he runs the classic wide-zone offense stemming from Kyle Shanahan’s offense. McVay has evolved his offense to a degree, however. You see more 11 personnel and inside zone in this offense than a usual wide zone offense.
The biggest knock on McVay is his inability to pivot from the same regular plays he’s accustomed to using. When defenses figure out this system, he doesn’t have any hidden tricks up the sleeve to respond with. Although, this offense can be borderline unstoppable when defenses don’t have it figured out. He isn’t on the level of someone like Shanahan, but he is undoubtedly a great offensive mind.
Raheem Morris is one of the many D-Coordinators in the league using a split safety scheme that stems from Fangio’s system. It has inherent flaws, but Morris does a fine job of running this defense. LA has done an exceptional job of acquiring the proper personnel to fit this scheme. However, this roster looks feeble, and it’ll be tough for him to overcome. He is a very experienced Coordinator and knows how to mix up the defense. Unlike Joe Barry, he calls plays beyond the basic cover four and cover six. It’ll be fascinating to see how he gets these inexperienced and unproven players to play.
| Playcalling – 92 (T3) |
| Scheme – Wide Zone |
| QB – 82.4 (10) |
| Matthew Safford, Stetson Bennett, Brett Rypien |
| Receiving Options – 82.6 (14) |
| WR1 – Van Jefferson, Puka Nacua, Braxton Burmeister WR2 – Ben Skowronek, Lance McCutcheon, Xavier Smith SWR – Cooper Kupp, Tutu Atwell TE – Tyler Higbee, Hunter Long, Brycen Hopkins, Davis Allen HB – Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans, Ronnie Rivers |
| Pass-Pro – 73.5 (31) |
| LT – Joe Noteboom, Alaric Jackson LG – Steve Avila, Tremaune Anchrum Jr. C – Brian Allen, Sean Maginn RG – Coleman Shelton, Logan Bruss RT – Rob Havenstein, Warren McClendon Jr. HB – Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans, Ronnie Rivers |
| Run Blocking – 74.7 (24) |
| LT – Joe Noteboom, Alaric Jackson LG – Steve Avila, Tremaune Anchrum Jr. C – Brian Allen, Sean Maginn RG – Coleman Shelton, Logan Bruss RT – Rob Havenstein, Warren McClendon Jr. TE – Tyler Higbee, Hunter Long, Brycen Hopkins, Davis Allen |
| Run Options – 78.4 (30) |
| HB – Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans, Ronnie Rivers |
This offense can perform at a very high level; it’s all just dependent on if Stafford is his usual self. If Stafford isn’t, expect this offense to be much worse than this projection. Cooper Kupp is one of the most dynamic players in the league. He may be a Slot, but he has elite skills, such as his first step. Van Jefferson is also an underrated Receiver who may step up this year.
On the other hand, this O-Line is looking questionable. Either Coleman Shelton or Logan Bruss will start at Guard, making for a liability. Rob Havenstein is a quality starter, but the three others are average. It still won’t be an abysmal O-Line but one that causes concern. Cam Akers is a fine back though the depth isn’t good. I expect this to be one of the league’s worst run games. Although Stafford and Kupp, alongside excellent play calling, will make for a stellar passing game. The Rams better hope Stafford’s arm is back to what it was because this offense won’t be the same if it isn’t.
| Coaching – 78 (T27) |
| Scheme – 3-4 Split-Safety |
| Secondary – 70.8 (32) |
| CB1 – Derion Kendrick, Shaun Jolly CB2 – Robert Rochell, Timarcus Davis SCB – Cobie Durant (+), Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson FS – Jordan Fuller, Jason Taylor II, Richard LeCounte III SS – Russ Yeast, Quentin Lake, Quindell Johnson |
| Pass Rush – 79.8 (23) |
| ED1 – Byron Young (+), Nick Hampton, Daniel Hardy ED2 – Michael Hoecht, Ochaun Mathis, Keir Thomas IDL1 – Aaron Donald, Kobie Turner (+), Earnest Brown IV IDL2 – Bobby Brown, Marquise Copeland, Jonah Williams |
| Off-Ball Linebacker – 69.3 (32) |
| LB1 – Ernest Jones, Jake Hummel, Ryan Smenda Jr. LB2 – Christian Rozeboom, DeAndre Square, Kelechi Anyalebechi |
| Run Defense – 76.3 (24) |
| ED1 – Byron Young (+), Nick Hampton, Daniel Hardy ED2 – Michael Hoecht, Ochaun Mathis, Keir Thomas IDL1 – Aaron Donald, Kobie Turner (+), Earnest Brown IV IDL2 – Bobby Brown, Marquise Copeland, Jonah William |
The only way to put it is this defense isn’t NFL caliber outside of Aaron Donald. With that being said, Aaron Donald makes a dramatic difference even at his age. Byron Young is the best pass rusher outside of Donald, which is a massive concern. The once-dominant run defense is going to be rough to watch. The linebacking core is extremely thin, and Ernest Jones is ideally a third Linebacker. Dorion Kendrick and Robert Rochell are the two outside starters when both should be backups. Kendrick was serviceable for the most part but lacks speed. Jordan Fuller is the one bright spot, but Russ Yeast is a liability in coverage. This coverage unit as a whole is very worrisome. They’ll at least have a decent run defense as a whole, but teams can easily attack anywhere. If there’s any reason besides Stafford LA finishes in the bottom three in 2023, it’ll be this defense.
| Special Teams – 73 |
| K – Christopher Dunn, Tanner Brown P – Ethan Evans LS – Alex Ward KR – Jason Taylor II, Xavier Smith PR – Jason Taylor II, Xavier Smith |
Total Win Projection – 6.4
| WK | LAR | Win % |
| 1 | @ Seattle | 33% |
| 2 | vs San Francisco | 20% |
| 3 | @ Cincinnati | 20% |
| 4 | @ Indianapolis | 50% |
| 5 | vs Philadelphia | 20% |
| 6 | vs Arizona | 67% |
| 7 | vs Pittsburgh | 50% |
| 8 | @ Dallas | 20% |
| 9 | @ Green Bay | 43% |
| 10 | BYE | |
| 11 | vs Seattle | 50% |
| 12 | @ Arizona | 50% |
| 13 | vs Cleveland | 33% |
| 14 | @ Baltimore | 20% |
| 15 | vs Washington | 57% |
| 16 | vs New Orleans | 50% |
| 17 | @ N.Y. Giants | 33% |
| 18 | @ San Francisco | 20% |
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