NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams 2023 season came to an end following a disappointing 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFL Wild Card round. Though the loss was disappointing, Ram fans have plenty to be excited about as the Rams will look to build on this season. Coming off a 2022 season where they finished 5-12 and having to trade/release key players from their Super Bowl-winning team due to the salary cap, the Rams were not expected to be a factor in the NFC with most experts predicting the Rams to win 6-7 games. Entering their bye week at 3-6, it was expected the Rams would begin to trade veteran players to stockpile draft picks and begin preparing for the 2024 season. The Rams were able to get key players healthy during the bye week and turned their season around, winning 7 of their last 8 regular season games to earn a playoff spot.
Head coach Sean McVay has credited this year’s team for reinvigorating him. During the post-game press conference, McVay said “I’m so proud of this football team…They helped me find my way again and how much I love this and love the people that I’m around.” McVay has already announced he will return to the sidelines to be the Rams coach next season. In the 2nd half of the season, McVay showed a more concerted effort to stay with his running game. The running game helped to open up the offense as the Rams averaged over 28 points per game after the bye week.
Running back Kyren Williams emerged as the primary back this season. In 12 games, Williams rushed for over 1100 yards and gave the Rams a physical presence in the backfield. The play of Williams and how he fits into what McVay wants to do with his running game allowed the Rams to trade Cam Akers, who entered the season as the starting running back.
The offensive line was much maligned for their poor performance during the 2022 season. Early in the season, the offense line dealt with injuries. Coming out of the bye week, the O-line was healthy and changes were made to the starting lineup. The Rams saw an improvement in the running game, averaging over 120 yards per game. One of the biggest improvements by the offensive line was in their pass protection. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was given more time to find open receivers downfield.
The health of Stafford was key for the Rams this year as he missed only 1 game this season due to injury. With the commitment to the running game, the entirety of the offensive success was not placed solely on Stafford’s shoulders. Stafford passed for over 3900 yards and was able to limit his turnovers. His final 5 starts is when Stafford was at his best this season as he threw 11 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. Stafford put any retirement talk to rest early as he has announced he is returning next season.
By far the biggest surprise was the production of rookie WR Puka Nacua. The 5th-round draft pick set rookie records for receptions and yards with 105 receptions and 1486 yards. He followed up this record-setting rookie regular season by setting a rookie record 9 receptions for 181 yards in the wild-card game. With WR Cooper Kupp out with a hamstring injury to begin the season, Nacua was able to build a strong connection with Stafford and it continued when returned from injury.
This season, the Rams saw key defensive players leave either through trade or free agency. Most notable were Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner, and Jalen Ramsey. Edge rusher Byron Young was drafted out of Tennessee to replace Floyd. On the season, Young had 8 sacks and was a key contributor in containing the opposition’s running game. As the season progressed, the play of rookie defensive lineman Kobie Turner made him a key figure in the defensive line rotation. On the season, Turner recorded 9 sacks, most for a rookie interior lineman. His presence on the defensive line along with All-Pro Aaron Donald helped solidify the d-line production. Ernest Jones has seen his production increase each season. This season, Jones led the team with 145 tackles and added 4.5 sacks.
The Rams faced inconsistent play this season in their secondary. Injuries and poor pass coverage in key moments hurt the Rams this season. The Rams at times struggled to find the right combination of cornerbacks. This offseason, the Rams will look to address their secondary.
The Rams exceeded expectations this season, winning 10 games. The performance of some rookies as well as young players helped propel the Rams to the playoffs. Going into the 2024 season, the Rams are expected to have a lot of salary cap space available and will be expected to make serious runs at key free agents to help improve their roster. The 2023 Rams gave their fans plenty to be excited about the future of the team as they will have visions of the Rams making a Superbowl run in 2024.
