Based on pre-season predictions, the Los Angeles Rams are in for a tough 2023 campaign. There are very few experts or fans who think the Rams will be a playoff team this upcoming season after seeing the losses they’ve suffered since March.
It’s a stripped-down roster that’s led by three key members: Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. Outside of them, Los Angeles’ roster is made up of mostly rookies and second-year players who will need to step up.
Nate Davis of USA TODAY doesn’t expect the Rams to be worse than they were in 2022, but he also doesn’t believe they’ll make the playoffs. Davis released his projected records for every team and he has the Rams going 7-10, finishing third in the NFC West.
Los Angeles Rams (7-10): DL Aaron Donald, QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp missed a combined 22 games last year as the Rams crumbled to 5-12, the worst record ever for a reigning Super Bowl champion. Assuming that trio is healthy, LA should again be competitive … if this team can score 30+ points a week due to a stripped-down D that has almost nothing beyond its three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
So much of the 2023 season is going to come down to the health of Stafford, Kupp and Donald, all of whom are coming off season-ending injuries. If any of them gets hurt, the Rams’ season is going to go downhill rather quickly.
If they can stay healthy and players such as Ernest Jones, Van Jefferson, Cam Akers and Cobie Durant can play at a relatively high level, the Rams will be competitive, as Davis wrote. There are a lot of “ifs” involved with the Rams this year but with some injury luck, they should be better than they were in 2022.
