The good, the bad, and the ugly: a season in review

LA’s seasons turns around after a 1-4 start

With the playoffs just around the corner and the Rams in the thick of it, the regular season can officially be classified as a success. Despite starting 1-4, LA climbed their way out of the basement and are your NFC West Champions. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly after 18 weeks.

The Good

Young players continue to shine on defense

The defense got to a slow start to the season but near the tail end of it the unit has become a problem for opposing offenses. Looking past a Week 18 performance that saw many of their starters on the sidelines, LA has held their opponents under 10 points for three straight weeks in-a-row and even before that were coming up with enough plays to keep games within reach. Chris Shula deserves a ton of credit for developing the young players on the team and creating a scheme that did not complicate the basics. Jared Verse may have been LA’s sole Pro Bowler, but so many others are deserving as well. It might not look great on paper as far as stats go, but the defense for the Rams have a bright future with Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Omar Speights, Kamren Kinchens, and Jaylen McCollough leading the way.

Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are a force for years to come

While the defense has a ton of young talent to grow with the team, the offense is another story and will likely need a “retooling” come this offseason. Luckily, Les Snead and Sean McVay found some hidden treasures in the fifth round of the NFL draft in recent years and have a head start. It is a shame we didn’t get to see Puka Nacua in more games this season because he is an absolute must-watch week-in and week-out. It seems like every weekend Nacua is coming down with some insane toe-dragging reception that he has no right to make or sacrificing his body to rough-out a couple more yards. Nacua is the real deal and should be mentioned in every “top-5” receiver list that comes out. He finished with 990 yards in just 11 games this season.

Despite having a tough two-game stretch that lead to concerns about ball protection, Kyren Williams finished the year strong and reminded us just how good is at football. He seemed to be the one thing that was consistent on the offensive side of the ball when everyone around him was going down with injury. He finished the year with 316 carries for 1299 yards and team-high 14 touchdowns but did not make the Pro Bowl. His importance to the team stems further than his offensive output with his elite pass protection o

n passing downs. He may not have had the explosiveness that other running backs in the league have shown, but without Williams LA does not win a division title.

LA sweeps San Francisco

The Rams are no longer the little brother in their rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers. After a long stretch of seasons McVay finally overcame his inability to defeat Kyle Shanahan in the regular season and dealt to devastating blows to his biggest rival. While the Rams have retooled and look to be a contender for years to come, the 49ers are entering a rebuild and are likely to pay Brock Purdy a top of the market contract that will hinder their future cap space.

The Rams overcome adversity

There was a 8% chance that the Rams would make the playoffs after starting 1-4, yet here they are hosting a home playoff game against a team they have already taken down. There may have been a lot of luck involved to get LA to the position they are now, but McVay has to be given a ton of credit for not quitting on this team. There were opportunities to move on from foundational players to gain draft capital going into 2025 but this team fought threw their obstacles they needed to in order to make the final push into the playoffs. McVay may not get much attention in the Coach of the Year race but he deserves to be in the conversation at the very least.

The Bad

Rams enter the playoffs with a negative point differential

One would think an offense lead by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Williams, and Nacua along with a revamped offensive line would translate to one of the most competitive offenses in the league—that obviously was not the case. A lot of that can be contributed to the number of injuries on that side of the ball but even with everyone back in the lineup their have been some head-scratchers. After defeating the Buffalo Bills 44-42, LA would squeak out three wins against the 49ers, the New York Jets, and the Arizona Cardinals without scoring over 20 points. There is a positive side to this of course—the playoffs are often grindy games that one or two plays make the difference between an “L” and a “W”. The Rams are battle tested and can win in multiple ways, but the consistency and slow starts are a concern going against one of the league’s premier offenses.

Injuries hamper strong start

Speaking of injuries…

There were a lot of them and it did not just effect the offense. Darious Williams and John Johnson missed significant time which forced young players into key starting roles that may have not been ready for the challenge just yet. It was obvious in their matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 where the secondary was completely dismantled by Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. which turned into a 41-10 blowout. The Rams have gotten healthy at the right time and enter their first playoff game with a near-empty injury list.

Trading Ernest Jones away was a mistake

Ernest Jones entered the season as one of the captains on the team but found himself caught up in contract negotiations that appeared to have gone sour. He was traded to the Tennessee Titans for a sixth round pick just days before the start of the regular season. After just six games with the Titans, he was traded to rival Seattle Seahawks for a fourth round pick. Despite the Rams being swindled by the Titans, who turned their draft pick from a sixth to a fourth, Jones also became a significant contributor for the Seattle. He finished with 77 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception in just 16 games. Against his former team last week he got some revenge with a sack, two QB hits, and finished second in tackles with nine. Christian Rozeboom looks like a solid linebacker now but you have to wonder what LA’s defense would look like with their former captain still on the team.

The Ugly

Les Snead whiffs on free agency

Jonah Jackson currently resides on the bench as a depth piece, Tre’Davious White was one of the worst corners on the team and was traded for a seventh-round pick swap to the Baltimore Ravens, and Colby Parkinson has made a few key plays but otherwise has been absent and will continue to be with Tyler Higbee on the field. Cam Curl has been a solid contributor but outside of him Snead’s 2024 free agency has been a huge miss. He does, however, deserve all the credit in the world for his last two drafts which have been absolutely phenomenal.