When their starting quarterback is upright and healthy, most NFL teams are exponentially better; the Los Angeles Rams have shown this to be especially true over the last three seasons.
The Rams are enjoying their longest winning streak since winning the Super Bowl, and Matthew Stafford has been playing safe and easy in the pocket lately.
Since the Rams’ bye week, they have won three straight games and Stafford has only been sacked once. With just five quarterback hits combined from Arizona and Cleveland and no sacks, he has hardly been touched at all over the last two weeks.
Thanks to a run of superb defense and astute play-calling intended to keep their franchise quarterback doing what he does best, the Rams (6-6) have jumped into an NFC playoff race that seemed unattainable just a month ago.
In a 36-19 victory over the Browns, who were unable to get Myles Garrett and his teammates close to Stafford on the majority of snaps, Stafford recorded his second straight no-sack performance. Following the game, coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford were quick to commend Los Angeles’ greatly improved offensive line.
This gave Stafford the freedom to attack the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense for 279 yards and three touchdowns, including a magnificent scoring pass to rookie Puka Nacua that went for seventy yards.
Stafford exclaimed, “I was so fired up today because my guys were balling.” Stafford exclaimed. “That’s quite the rush (coming from Cleveland). They were putting pressure on us, rushing us, and doing a lot of other bad things, so it was incredible to see our guys stand up and defend us today.”
Stafford suffered as a result of the Rams’ offensive line being one of their definite weak points the previous season. Before being declared out for the season in 2022 due to a bruised spinal cord that was most likely caused by those hits, he was sacked 29 times in just nine games.
Only 20 times in 11 games this season has Stafford been sacked, and six of those were against Cincinnati in a preseason game. Since mid-October, he has only been sacked four times in five games.
Stafford praised his line, saying, “So proud of those guys. It’s evident in the way they work and conduct themselves on a daily basis. I thought our plan was perfect, but we threw the rock. We weren’t merely sitting there preventing those players from getting in front of Cleveland. “Let’s go play our game and have a lot of confidence in those guys,” was all we were saying.
Even the Browns, who had already racked up 34 sacks in their first 11 games of the season, gave the Rams and LA’s play calls credit for reducing Stafford’s threat.
Coach Kevin Stefanski of Cleveland said, “(Stafford) got the ball out quickly at times, and then when they held it, protection seemed to be holding up and (they) found some deep balls.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Despite lacking elite talent, coordinator Raheem Morris’ defense continues to perform above expectations. For the fourth straight game, LA kept its opponent to 21 points or fewer. Security John Johnson’s breakout performance since the bye week culminated in the game-winning interception against his old team, Cleveland.
WHAT REQUIRES ASSISTANCE
In six of the 12 games this season, the Rams have allowed a touchdown on the opening drive of their opponents. After the Browns scored, Los Angeles tightened up and forced five straight punts, but everyone would benefit from quicker defensive starts.
STOCK UP
Williams ran for 88 yards and a touchdown in yet another successful performance for him and his offensive line. During the three-game winning streak, the second-year pro has amassed 389 yards of rushing and four touchdowns in total, but the line’s play has been just as remarkable.
STOCK DOWN
The Rams are in danger if an opponent can force their linebackers into coverage. When asked to cover faster players, Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder both gave up big catches.
INJURIES
Shortly before halftime, Nacua left the game with what appeared to be a serious rib injury. The rookie’s comeback in the second half following treatment startled even McVay, who said, “I thought he was dead, and then he comes back to life.”
ESSENTIAL NUMBER
In the final five games for the Rams, Nacua needs to receive 445 yards in order to surpass the 63-year-old professional record for yards by a rookie receiver. In 1960, Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers of the AFL set the record with 1,473 yards. As of Sunday, Nacua has already amassed 1,029 receiving yards, setting a franchise record for rookies with the Rams.
NEXT ACTIONS
On a lengthy road trip to play the Baltimore Ravens, who own the best record in the AFC, the win streak could be in jeopardy. The best rushing offense in the NFL will put Los Angeles’ defensive front seven to the test.