Games in the NFL are often won and lost in the trenches. Having talented skill players, a proven quarterback and a lockdown cornerback certainly help, but without a quality offensive line or a defensive front, little else matters.
The Rams learned that in 2019 and they’re realizing it again this year. Their offensive line might be the worst in the NFL, and although injuries have played a big role in that, the Rams can’t use that as an excuse for the way their offense has completely crumbled this season.
The last two weeks have been especially bad up front. Against the 49ers in Week 4, Matthew Stafford was pressured on 41.1% of his drop backs, a total of 23 times. He completed just nine of his 15 attempts under pressure and was sacked a whopping seven times.
On Sunday against the Cowboys, it was even worse. According to Next Gen Stats, Stafford was pressured on 48.9% of his drop backs, which was the second-highest rate for the Rams since 2017.
Per @NextGenStats, #Rams Matthew Stafford was pressured on 23 of 47 dropbacks. Secondmost in the McVay era. The 48.9% is the highest under McVay.
— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) October 10, 2022
That’s 46 pressures allowed in the last two games. And folks are wondering why the Rams can’t throw the ball downfield or sustain drives with any sort of consistency? That right there explains 95% of the Rams’ problems.
By no means has Stafford been good. He has five touchdown passes and seven interceptions, missing receivers far too often. However, when he’s constantly under pressure, it’s difficult for him to find open receivers.
Sean McVay minced no words after the loss when talking about the offensive line, saying it’s something the Rams have to fix.
“I don’t know if I have that answer right now,” he said when asked what the Rams can do. “But we’ve got to be able to figure it out, whether it’s guys that are playing right now or whether we need to figure out some other options. But it’s not good enough and it’s not exclusive to one player, to one position. But there are some things that consistently are glaring issues for us, that are preventing us a chance to be able to operate at a level that you guys have seen from us. But that doesn’t matter right now. This is where we are and this is the moment that we’re in.”
In Week 5, the Rams had just three offensive linemen who started in Week 1. They were on their third-string center and third-string right guard, while left guard David Edwards also left with a concussion and was replaced by Bobby Evans. Injuries to Brian Allen, Coleman Shelton, Tremayne Anchrum Jr., Logan Bruss and Edwards have been costly. But every team deals with injuries, just not usually to the extent that the Rams have.
Even when the line was relatively healthy, though, it wasn’t playing particularly well. That’s even more concerning because when Allen and Shelton do return, there’s no guarantee things will suddenly get dramatically better.
And until the Rams can fix the offensive line, this team is going nowhere. It’s unsustainable for Stafford to be under as much pressure as he is, and for the running backs to pick up yards through the small holes being created up front.
Can Andrew Whitworth come out of retirement and fix this problem? Would a guard like Ereck Flowers help? Options are available, but the Rams can’t wait too long to address the line. And signing a player such Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t going to do much to help if the offensive line can’t block.
