Sean McVay instantly turned the Los Angeles Rams into a contender. The Rams hadn’t posted a winning season since 2003 before he became the team’s head coach prior to the start of the 2017 campaign, but he has showed what a difference the right coach can make. He has helped make Jared Goff into a very good quarterback after he was initially panned as a bust in the making, and the Rams have scored more points than any other team in the NFC for each of the last two seasons.
Will the Los Angeles Rams Make the Playoffs in 2019?
Yes -320
No +241
Odds Analysis
Given their spate of recent success, it’s no surprise that the Rams have the fourth-best NFL betting odds to make it back to the postseason in 2019. Only New England, Kansas City, and New Orleans have been deemed more likely to make the playoffs, as the Rams look to make amends after a dismal performance in Super Bowl LIII.
Breaking Down the Rams Offense
Sean McVay is already so revered that he has established quite the coaching tree as a third-year head coach. Former assistants Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor were hired by Green Bay and Cincinnati this offseason, and Aaron Kromer might be the next hot commodity in 2020.
This offense should have no trouble scoring points. Jared Goff has turned into quite the quarterback under McVay’s tutelage, completing almost 65 percent of his passes and throwing for nearly 4,700 yards in 2019. He has read the field well, but there is a lot of talent and he has been schemed into advantageous positions.
The receiving corps is incredible Brandin Cooks is the big play threat that quarterbacks dream about, and Robert Woods put up almost identical numbers to Cooks last season. A healthy Cooper Kupp will help a lot this year too. Kupp was hurt for most of 2018, but he is a fantastic underneath receiver.
There are some real concerns about Todd Gurley’s knee. Gurley has sat out the preseason to keep his knee as healthy as possible, but there is speculation that his knee might be arthritic. If that’s the case, it would severely impact his performance.
That concerned the Rams to the point that they used a third-round pick on Darrell Henderson out of Memphis. Henderson was the most explosive running back in the country last season, and he’ll give this offense a home run hitter.
Breaking Down the Rams Defense
Aaron Donald is the best player in the league. Period. We’re in an age where everyone is enamored with quarterbacks, but Donald is putting up more impressive numbers than any player.
Defensive tackles just don’t do what Donald has done the last five years. He has tallied 59.5 sacks and 97 tackles for loss despite constant double teams, and he continues to single-handedly blow up plays. Donald has been named a First Team All-Pro in four straight seasons, and he claimed his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018. His 20.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss were both league highs and just ludicrous numbers for a defensive tackle.
Despite Donald’s dominance, the defense took a step back in 2019. The Rams finished 19th in DVOA, and they parted ways with Ndamukong Suh, Lamarcus Joyner, and Mark Barron in the offseason. They still have some great pieces though, and the hope is that a small shake-up will lead to better results.
Dante Fowler was brought over in a trade, and he immediately made an impact for the Rams. The team is hoping for similar things from former Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews, and the secondary should be very good in 2019.
Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are both solid corners, but LA needed to improve at safety. The Rams did that by drafting Taylor Rapp and signing Eric Weddle from Baltimore, giving the defense two very talented playmakers.
Prediction
Aside from New England, I think the Rams making the playoffs is the biggest lock on the board. The NFC West is not as good as some believe, and this team could be even better as the defense should improve.
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