The Los Angeles Rams’ defense of their Super Bowl win has been shaky thus far. They are 2-2 on the season as they got blown out by the Buffalo Bills in the season opener and the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. In the two weeks in between, they defeated the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.
Consistency has eluded the Rams in every facet of the game through the first month of the season. Out of the units, what the offense has accomplished, or lack thereof, is the most concerning.
Los Angeles is 29th in the NFL in points for and 28th in yards gained. They have the highest turnover percentage in the league and their running game has been anemic, ranking 30th in yards and 31st in attempts.
That has put a lot of pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford to carry the offense but he has not been up to the task as of yet. He is leading the league with six interceptions thrown and he has failed to build a rapport with anyone outside of Cooper Kupp, who is on pace to shatter the record for receptions in a season.
The offensive line has been in shambles as they are down to their third-stringer at some spots, but Stafford’s inability to elevate the team in any way is certainly concerning. He was suffering from an elbow issue during the offseason but his decision-making has been poor.
Stafford was the topic of discussion on ESPN’s Get Up earlier this week and some harsh criticisms were shared. NFL insider Dan Graziano did not mince words when describing the kind of player that Stafford is.
“I don’t think Matthew Stafford is the kind of quarterback that elevates the group around him.”
Graziano believes that Stafford is the kind of quarterback that you can win games with but not the one that you will win games because. He does not believe that he is good enough to put a team on his back and carry them to the promised land as he needs things to be set up perfectly around him to succeed.
Right now, the Rams are far from perfect on the offensive side of the ball. They need to find a way to get their running game going to take some of the attention off of Stafford. With their offensive line issues, some more quick hitters need to be drawn up and getting Allen Robinson more involved would certainly help, too.
Kupp is a great player but if the Rams are going to find any success this season, their offense needs to be more than just him producing.
