Los Angeles Rams: 10-year retrospective through seven games

Long-suffering Rams fans can take solace from a look back at the last decade of week seven statistics.

Los Angeles Rams fans—whether St. Louis or Los Angeles—have suffered long. The team has not had a winning season or playoff appearance since 2003. Since then, they have had seven coaches, 10 quarterbacks who started four or more games, and finished with an average win-loss record of 5-11.

This year’s rejuvenated, high-scoring Rams have surprised a lot of people. Some thought new coach Sean McVay was too young to be successful for some time. Others thought the Rams would need at least a couple of years to learn a new system and get the personnel needed. Many thought that none of those changes would make a difference because the culture of the Rams, from top to bottom, was a losing culture.

Yet after seven games, the Rams are one of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL, listed between seventh and second in major power rankings, and there is talk of a winning season and playoffs.

Related Story: Rams From the Stands: Losing to the Seahawks showed who the Rams truly are

How does this Rams team compare, after seven games, to the Rams teams of the last 10 years? Take a look:

Year

Coach

Record after 7 games

PF

PA

2008

Linehan/Haslett

2-5

96

178

2009

Spagnuolo

0-7

60

211

2010

Spagnuolo

3-4

120

131

2011

Spagnuolo

1-6

56

171

2012

Fisher

3-4

130

141

2013

Fisher

3-4

156

184

2014

Fisher

2-5

136

210

2015

Fisher

4-3

135

125

2016

Fisher

3-4

120

154

2017

McVay

5-2

212

138

Not only is it the best record in those 10 years, but also the highest number of points in 10 years—by a lot. The third lowest point allowed—and the trend is getting better.

For those who like to wax nostalgic, here are the starting quarterback(s), running backs, and receivers with most yards, and important players drafted or let go in those years:

2008: Marc Bulger, Stephen Jackson, Torry Holt.

2009: Bulger/Kyle Boller, Jackson, Donnie Avery.

2010: Sam Bradford, Jackson, Danny Amendola.

2011: Bradford/A.J. Feeley/Kellen Clemens, Jackson, Brandon Lloyd. (Football Outsiders listed the Rams as the worst team in the league per play).

2012: Bradford, Jackson, Chris Givens.

2013: Bradford/Clemens, Zac Stacy, Jared Cook.

2014: Austin Davis/Shaun Hill, Tre Mason, Kenny Britt.

2015: Nick Foles/Case Keenum, Todd Gurley, Britt. This was the Rams final season in St. Louis.

2016: Keenum/Jared Goff, Gurley, Britt. This was the Rams first year back in Los Angeles.

2017: Goff, Gurley, Robert Woods.

Much has been written about how McVay and his staff have surprised everyone with how he has changed the Rams in his first year. A look at the last 10 years, after seven games, shows just how drastic that change is.

Of course, the next nine games will tell a complete story. The Rams face some tough teams (Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles), and perhaps a tougher San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks teams with their recent trades.

Related Story: The NFC West just got tougher for the Rams in December

If the season ended today, Los Angeles would be the No. 5 seed in the NFC. Week 7 statistics don’t tell us much about where a team will end their season, though they do show trends. Will the Rams continue their positive climb while facing a tougher schedule?

Time will tell. For now, Rams fans can take solace in the fact that the team is far ahead of any of its past ten versions.