The Los Angeles Rams have looked like one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL to start the season. From an offense that has been clicking to a dominant defense, the team has looked great on both sides of the ball. Here are the top three positives for the Rams so far this season.
1. Matthew Stafford has looked prime despite preseason injury concerns
Matthew Stafford didn’t practice much during training camp due to an aggravated disc in his back. Epidural surgery led many Rams fans to worry if Stafford would still be in prime form.
So far, Stafford has eliminated those concerns, already recording 543 passing yards, good for fifth-best in the league. He has built a strong connection with newly-added Ram Davante Adams and continued his reliable connection with Puka Nacua. He is the driving force of the Rams’ offense, making the team’s success reliant on Stafford’s ability to stay healthy. Despite injury concerns, Stafford has thus far shown that he is still playing at the same level he has throughout his entire career.
2. Defense outpacing expectations
Los Angeles’ defensive unit has looked incredible in the first two games of the season. The team has only given up one touchdown, the fewest in the NFL, and has allowed just 14 points per game, the second-best in the league.
The Rams’ outstanding pass rush has been led by outside linebacker Byron Young, and Los Angeles already has eight sacks on the year. Young has three of those sacks on the season and has been a dominant force on the defensive line.
Newcomer inside linebacker Nate Landman has been a fantastic addition to the team, looking phenomenal in his first two games. Landman came up with a fumble in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. In Week 1 against the Texans, he forced a late fourth-quarter fumble by punching the ball out on Houston’s potentially game-winning drive
The Rams have also done well in slowing down their opponents’ passing game, allowing only 147 passing yards per game. The defensive unit as a whole has looked solid, and if it continues to perform like this, a Super Bowl run isn’t out of the picture.
3. Blake Corum and Kyren Williams look like an unstoppable two-punch combination
Running back Kyren Williams has been the workhorse in the running back room since LA traded Cam Akers in 2023. Williams is very deserving of that role, and while he has continued to carry the ball on most snaps so far this year, former Michigan Wolverine Blake Corum has started to get more touches.
The Rams drafted Corum in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he didn’t see many carries last year. Against the Titans, Corum had five carries for 44 yards and a touchdown. Even though Corum only had five touches, it’s nonetheless an improvement as he continues to perform at a high level.
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said that the roughly 70-30 split between Williams and Corum was “much more in alignment” with how he wants the Rams backfield to look, per Adam Grosbard. With Williams continuing to shine and Corum blossoming, the Rams now have a threatening duo that will scare defenses across the league.