INDIANAPOLIS – It wasn’t exactly pretty. Or, as head coach Sean McVay summed it up self-effacingly, “Exactly how we drew it up. Golly.” But the Rams escaped Lucas Oil Stadium with a 29-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts, and, more importantly, a 2-2 record.
We’re about a quarter of the way through the 17-game NFL schedule, and the Rams have shown more fight and toughness than many expected following an off-season exodus of veteran talent and influx of rookies and second-year players taking over key roles.
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned, or at least think we have, about the Rams as they return home for three games.
The defense is game
Through four games, the Rams are allowing opponents 295.75 yards per game. It’s an improvement over last year’s 341.06, and – small sample size alert – would have led the entire NFL last season.
Again, it’s just four games, but think about who they have come against: The Seahawks, loaded with playmakers; the 49ers and Bengals, both led by members of McVay’s offensive tree; and the Colts, who a week before gained 327 yards against the vaunted Baltimore defense.
The Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 will be another big test, but so far the rookies like Kobie Turner and Byron Young and second-year players like Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant have been up for the challenge.
The kids are alright
Sticking with the rookies, the Rams’ 2023 draft class has already provided big dividends for the team.
Young is second on the team with two sacks at outside backer, while Turner has been a disruptive presence on the interior of the defensive line. Second-round pick Steve Avila has yet to allow a sack while starting at left guard. And fifth-round pick Puka Nacua is looking like the steal of the draft, leading all NFL receivers with 39 receptions and ranking second with 501 receiving yards. It’s a strong foundation for the Rams’ “remodel”, as the franchise has called it.
Still slinging it
After an injury-plagued and ineffective 2022 season, there was reason for concern about 15-year veteran Matthew Stafford and how much he had left to offer. But Stafford has been efficient, completing 62% of his passes for 1,229 yards. There have been some hiccups with five interceptions, but a couple of those have been the results of tipped passes by receivers.
Overall, Stafford is keeping the offense humming, and Sunday’s overtime march to victory looked like the Stafford of old.
“He’s done this for a long time and you can just tell, he’s just got straight dog mentality,” receiver Van Jefferson said. “It’s time to go get it. He’s our leader and he’s our quarterback and I think he showed that today. When you need Nine, he’s going to be there.”
Run game improving
The Rams struggled to run the ball through the first three weeks of the season, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt and ranking 26th in the NFL in rush yards per game.
But there were signs of life in Sunday’s win over the Colts. The Rams gained 164 yards on the ground, and second-year back Kyren Williams had the first 100-yard game of his career with 103 yards on 25 carries (4.1 per rush). Continued improvement in this area would go a long way toward the Rams continuing to surpass preseason expectations.
Shallow end
Depth was always going to be a concern for the Rams, and we got a glimpse of why when left tackle Alaric Jackson left last week’s loss to Cincinnati and replacement Zach Thomas proceeded to give up two sacks.
The Rams were able to patch that up this week by moving Joe Noteboom outside and using new acquisition Kevin Dotson at right guard. But if injuries add up even at a small fraction of what we saw last year, the Rams could be left scrambling for answers. Just look at the defense.
Behind Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom, Jake Hummel has had just one snap at linebacker. Zach VanValkenburg has had little more experience at outside backer. The top three corners have combined for 489 snaps, while rookie Tre Tomlinson has seen three.
So far though, the Rams are healthy, .500 and playing together. There’s been a lot to be encouraged by.
“We’re continuing to learn about this group, we’re continuing to see our leaders lead,” McVay said. “Through four weeks, I think each game and each week has a little bit different story but I think it’s about being able to continuously stack blocks, let’s continue to try to improve together and let’s not be afraid to go shoot our shot every single week regardless of what happens.”