Los Angeles Rams | Most underrated team in the playoffs?

Los Angeles. A megalopolis with various nicknames. The “city of Angels” remains the most common. The “cradle of cinema”, we hear on occasion. La La Landin a pinch. Los Angeles, where fiction sometimes meets reality. City where the Rams, against all odds, could script a story worthy of Hollywood, in which those in whom no one believed end up triumphing.

Like cats, Rams have many lives. The team started its season with four defeats in five games. During this sequence, Matthew Stafford also lost his two main targets. Puka Nacua in the second week and Cooper Kupp in the third. They returned to action in the team’s seventh game. Sean McVay’s men nevertheless won only three of their next five clashes. Then, when the chemistry started working again, the Rams got back on their feet. This Sunday, the champions of the West division of the National will try to win a sixth consecutive match.

Yet the Rams are flying under the radar.

Mainly because they play in the penultimate division of the NFL, they rely on one of the oldest starting quarterbacks in the NFL, in second place, and they maintain a differential negative points.

So let’s put things into perspective.

The Rams have lost just two games since Memorial Day, Matthew Stafford is the only NL starting quarterback with a Super Bowl ring, and even though they score few points, the Rams have found a way to qualify for the the playoffs.

Now everything is possible.

And if this cliché resists the passage of time, another remains: experience helps to win championships. Stafford will turn 37 in a month. However, he is not regressing. Without dominating too much, it accomplishes the essential; 3762 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes, 8 interceptions, a success rate of 65.8% and, above all, 10 victories in 16 games.

McVay still believes in his quarterback’s abilities to complete key plays. This season, in a third down situation, the head coach employed a formation shotgunin which the quarterback stands alone behind the line of scrimmage, 81.6% of the time. And this, even if the Rams can count on Kyren Williams, third this season in terms of rushing yards. Stafford is still the man for the job and the team’s future in the playoffs will depend on his performance. Like in 2022.

Kupp or Nacua?

Some teams are limited. The Bengals or Cowboys, for example, must rely on the performance of a single receiver to have a viable aerial game.

Thanks to smart draft picks, the Rams can rely on Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. A stunning double threat. Before the start of the season, the two accomplices should have had a similar workload.

In the first game, Kupp was called upon more, with 14 receptions for 110 yards. Upon their return to play, Nacua was used the most, with 7 receptions and 106 yards.

However, for three weeks, Kupp has been invisible. No receptions against the 49ers. Three small receptions for 24 yards against the Jets. Then just one reception against the Cardinals.

The Rams win, so no one cares. But in the playoffs, Stafford will need all his ammunition.

The genius of McVay

The Rams have a point differential of -14. They arrive at the 20^e ranked in the NFL in points scored and 15th^e rank in terms of points awarded.

Statistically, passing and running, on offense and defense, Los Angeles is akin to a mid-pack team. However, it is third in the association and will host a playoff match.

Sean McVay’s star shines a little less than before. In this world of novelties and excitement, everything seems fleeting.

However, the head coach still manages to be the man for the job. The Rams have won all of their games by a slim margin. LA has scored on average just 5.7 more points than its opponents in its 10 wins. The largest point difference being 10, against the Vikings and the Jets.

Some coaches are headed for ruin because they struggle to adapt in the middle of a match. Think of Zac Taylor in Cincinnati, Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco or Raheem Morris in Atlanta.

McVay stands out for his way of analyzing, understanding, adjusting and daring.

This season, the Rams have scored an average of 1.7 points in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, that number climbs to 7.1. In the first half, the team ranks 27^e in terms of points scored. In the second half of the match, she is number 10^e by its productivity.

Every successful film is distinguished by a visionary director, a seasoned lead actor and committed supporting cast. The Rams, with McVay, Stafford, Nacua, Kupp and Williams, have the necessary means to present a film of unsuspected quality.