Los Angeles Rams: Way-too-early NFC West standings prediction
By Hil Lopez
Los Angeles Rams (Last years record 9-7)
The Los Angeles Rams came up short of the playoffs last year as they finished 9-7 and 3rd in the NFC West. Up and down quarterback play from Jared Goff along with questionable usage of running back Todd Gurley contributed to their downfall in the 2019 season.
The outlook does not seem to look much better for the Rams for the 2020 season given the moves they have made in the offseason already.
They released veteran Clay Matthews, and surprisingly Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley mostly due to salary cap issues. They also lost key defensive players Michael Brockers, Cory Littleton, and Dante Fowler to other teams. These were huge losses, but necessary in the Rams eyes as they could not give out raises to any of these players.
On the good side, the Rams were able to re-sign linemen Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe. However, the Rams will need to invest in the offensive line in the draft as they look to get younger and cheaper on that side of the ball. They will also need to possibly sign a new running back with the release of Gurley as well.
For the 2019 season, the Los Angeles Rams had the 4th highest total in passing yards per game as they averaged 281.2 yards per game. Jared Goff threw for 4,638 yards but also had an underwhelming 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. This was due in part to Goff facing constant pressure with a crumbling offensive line surrounding him.
Standouts offensively for the team were wideouts Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. Kupp had 94 catches and 1,164 yards and Woods had 90 catches and 1,134 yards. Tight end Tyler Higbee also came on late offensively as he had 69 catches and 734 yards.
Gurley scored a team-high 12 touchdowns on the ground but underwhelmed on the ground for the most part as he only gained 857 yards on a 3.8 yards per carry average. He did not even have a 100-yard rushing game for the whole season. Brandin Cooks, the third member of the wideout trio had trouble staying healthy all season with concussions and only caught 42 balls for 583 yards.
The Los Angeles Rams were not too bad defensively as they were 13th in yards per game at 339.6. Although, they often had slow starts to games allowing points in bunches and forcing the offense to play catch up. One player who had a down year by his standards was defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Coming off a breakout season of 20.5 sacks and 59 tackles in 2018, expectations were high for Donald going into the 2019 season. He ended up getting only 12.5 sacks and 48 tackles in 2019.
Donald has been the best defensive tackle ever since he entered the league and forces daily double teams from offensive lines. He is a one-man wrecking crew and looks to put the Rams defense on his back with a hopeful rebound in the 2020 season.
The real wild card for their defense, however, is Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey came to the Rams a little bit before the trade deadline for two first-round picks, and a 2021 fourth-round pick. He played like a number one corner for the majority of his games and will look to parlay that into a lucrative contract extension next offseason.
Aaron Donald will more than likely have a rebound season in 2020 which will help the Rams. However, with the overall amount of top-end talent they lost due to free agency, it is hard to see a way in which they will improve upon their 2019 record of 9-7. The Los Angeles Rams will fall to 8-8 in the 2020 season and miss the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.