5 Los Angeles Rams facing most pressure in Week 1 against Oakland Raiders

5. Greg Zuerlein

Los Angeles will be the first to admit that heading into last season, there were some questions surrounding special teams, and whether Greg Zuerlein was the right fit at kicker, even if he signed a three-year extension in the offseason. Luckily, the Rams were willing to stick with Zuerlein for the 2017 season since he not only put together a career year, but also earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

With that being said, Zuerlein actually wasn’t able to participate in the Pro Bowl since his season ended sooner than expected last December when he suffered a back injury, putting Los Angeles in a difficult spot on special teams. Prior to the injury, Zuerlein’s kicking numbers were absolutely ridiculous when seeing how he connected on 38 of 40 kicks, with six of seven coming from 50+ yards.

There were some concerns over whether Zuerlein would be healthy enough to return for the regular season since a back injury is nothing to mess with, but the kicker has looked quite impressive over the last month or so. While the Rams would prefer to find the end zone more instead of using Zuerlein, it’s always reassuring to have that insurance on special teams with a kicker to rely on when needed.