Dominate Time of Possession

One way to stop the opposing offense is by dominating the time of possession. This can limit the opportunities the other team has to score. This is easier said than done though in the NFL.

It does help when you have a running back like Todd Gurley, who can dominate a game with just his presence. Gurley has had a nice start to the season, rushing for 255 yards (fourth in the NFL) and four touchdowns (tied first in NFL).

Running the ball successfully can frustrate and tire out opposing defenses.

Converting third downs can also have the same effect on a defense, forcing teams to try making adjustments on the go. The Rams have converted on 54% of their third downs (20 out of 37). That leads the NFL.

They are also great at avoiding three and outs so far this season, going three and out just 6.9% of games (first in NFL according to Bill Barnwell). The second closest team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 20.8%.

https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/status/1044094714495029248

That’s very impressive.

This can be credited to the exceptional job Sean McVay has done in calling plays, coming up with ways to try and move the chains. The players also have to execute his game plan efficiently and effectively, which is what they’ve done so far to perfection.

So far this season, the Rams have dominated time of possession, having the ball for 96 minutes and 53 seconds through three games. That’s out of a possible 180 minutes in three games, giving the Rams possession for about 54% of their games.

That’s a good way to find yourself in the win column, which is what the Rams would like to do in Week 4.