7 solid reasons why LA Rams win NFC West next season

The LA Rams finished third in the NFC West in 2019, the most competitive division of the NFL. But here are seven reasons why the LA Rams will win the NFC West division in 2020

The LA Rams most certainly had a down season in 2019, and even then barely missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Still, the team have obvious problems in all three components of a game: offense, defense, and even special teams. With few salary dollars and no first round pick, Will it be more of the same next season?

While it’s an easy and cheap conclusion to simply project the same finish in 2020, the mood of the team is already not one of complacency.  Changes abound already, and you can expect plenty more of the same.  For each rookie who was forced into a starting role, they have become the young player with NFL experience on the roster going into the next season.

And while the team was swept by the San Francisco 49ers, and ended at simply a 3-3 record in the division, the coaching staff has an entire off-season to strategize ways to outflank opponents and start off hot.  Added to that, the 2019 schedule was horribly difficult, oscillating between away for distant opponents, and returning home again, only to go back out on the road next week.

Of course, the 2020 season will have its own set of surprises and challenges. As they develop, we’ll assess the impact and revise our projection accordingly.  For now, the tone for the Rams right now is very optimistic. Here are seven solid reasons why:

Reason 7 – The LA Rams improved towards the end of 2019

The Los Angeles Rams began the 2019 season with three consecutive victories, all of whom were against difficult opponents: at Carolina, home to New Orleans, at a refurbished Cleveland.  Then the wheels fell off the wagon. The Rams suffered injuries on the offensive line at the worst possible time – just as they began to face their NFC West division rivals.

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It was the embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home by the score of 45-6 which seemed to cause the offense to turn the corner. After that game, the Rams never scored fewer than 21 points. While the team closed out the season 3-2, and ended up at 9-7, the way the team finished demonstrated a strong desire to improve.  The two losses towards the end of the season resulted from the sporadic lapses from the defense – surrendering 44 points to an average Dallas Cowboys offense, and 34 points to NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers.  Even still, it took a field goal at the buzzer by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould to win the game.

Those improvements do not fade off to nothingness as the season ends. They become talking points with which to goal set for the new season. And so many players will have a renewed focus in training camp to push themselves to better and higher levels of play.

The coaches can point to injuries as setbacks which they will not repeat this season.  Ultimately, the Rams were just shy of the playoffs with so much adversity.  That sets the stage for positive momentum going into this season

Reason 6- Rams offensive line will be deeper, more experienced, and less injured

As soon as the LA Rams began promoting rookies and backups to the 2019 starting role at offensive line, the 2020 version of the offensive line benefitted. . The 2019 unit suffered from inexperience. But the 2020 unit immediately boasts a deep roster from that 2019 experience. Now the Rams have depth at multiple offensive line positions, where a year ago the team had inexperienced rookies.

That makes a huge difference in several ways.

For the players who are returning from injury, the Rams now have sufficient depth at each position to allow those players to heal fully.  That means more competition in training camp, and a more robust 53-man roster in 2020.

For players who saw playing time in 2019 who must now compete for playing time once more, that 2019 experience gives them a huge advantage heading into training camp. They now have real game-time experience, and have fought in the trenches in NFL games. It’s a simple step to apply what they faced in 2019 into their 2020 training and practices.  More competition means better quality of play for the team.

Reason 5 – 2020 opponents are some of the worst teams from 2019 in the NFL

While we do not have the week to week schedule for the LA Rams in 2020, we already know who they will face – both at home and on the road.  The Rams will face teams from the AFC East and NFC East in 2020. While the AFC East boasts two playoff teams – the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills- the NFC East was arguably the worst division in the NFL in 2019.

When we did a quick analysis of next year’s opponents, we revealed that 2020 home games have a significantly tougher group of teams than road games.  That’s an advantage for the Rams, who will get to enjoy the time zone difference when teams travel to Los Angeles.

The Rams 2019 schedule was that given to the  best team in the NFC. That means the Rams faced some of the most competitive teams in 2019.  Now that the Rams fell to third place in the NFC West, they will benefit from a third place teams schedule.

Of course, the teams which the Rams face in 2020 may be thinking the same thing. But three teams, all in the NFC East, are welcoming new head coaches and entirely new coaching staffs. That does not often end up with instant success. That translates into better success for 2020.

Reason 4- Sofi stadium creates unmatched home field advantage

Sofi Stadium is open for for business in 2020. The $5 billion sports stadium and complex is like nothing the NFL has experienced before. The sports complex is a massively future thinking architectural accomplishment, and will host both the LA Rams and the LA Chargers games in 2020.

The project has created an almost idyllic location to play football. The sheer magnitude, architecture, landscaping, and overall dramatic effect will surely give the visiting team a bit of wonder playing there for the first time there.  That means advantage Rams.

But it will also help to generate enthusiasm for Rams fans in attendance.  NFL teams love to win in front of the home crowd for that very reason.  Sofi Stadium is a brand new visionary sports complex, a complete reset to the LA Rams franchise in terms of starting anew with a blank slate.  The Rams would like nothing better than to fill that clean slate with W’s.

New stadiums have a way of creating their own storylines in the NFL.  It’s that first impression made at Sofi stadium which will become a national narrative for years to come.  If the Rams defend their home turf successfully in 2020, that reputation for a “tough place to play” will echo for years.

Rams players and coaches know that, and will use that to get the most out of their performance on game day in 2020.

Reason 3 –  2019 grabbed head coach Sean McVay’s attention

LA Rams head coach Sean McVay had an NFL’s midas touch for several years. Whatever he tried seem to succeed. Historically, his spread offense scored points by the dozens. On a similar note, his risks to gamble on a rookie QB Jared Goff seemed to be the steal of the century.  The Rams were hot and determined to go all-in to get over the hump with a 2019 playoff run to win Super Bowl 54.

But the team ended the season at 9-7 and never made it to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. A  harsh lesson to learn in the NFL is that the window of opportunity does not stay open for very long. That seems to have shaken Coach McVay to his feet, if just a little.

The disappointing season has certainly triggered changes with LA.  The team parted ways with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and running back coach Skip Peete. Beyond that, the team did not put up much of a fight when the Dallas Cowboys recruited special teams coordinator John Fassel right out from under their noses.

McVay ascending to true head coach

Subsequently, McVay’s role as head coach for the LA Rams is growing significantly, as it should. Aspects of the team he relied upon others to deliver, so now he is getting more involved.  To reflect that growing ownership of all aspects of the team, he has hired both an offensive and defensive coordinators who align very closely with his philosophy.

There will likely be a rise in intensity for the Rams this off-season as a result of 2019’s results.  While it was not a devastating season by any means, it fell far short of a team which had publicly gone “all-in” to get into the 2019 playoffs.  Lessons were learned, and the team will have the entire 2020 season to prove last year was an anomaly.

Reason 2 – Rams defense will defend both the pass and the run

Wade Phillips is a venerable savvy NFL defensive coordinator. He has that “touch” of getting the best play out of his veterans, and using just enough youth to sustain the defense’s energy at a high level throughout the entire game.  He prides his defense for using the 3-4 formation, insisting that it generates the most pressure on opposing quarterbacks.   He’s right about that.

But the Rams did not do well against the run last season, nor has the team stopped rushing offenses very well for several years. For all the solid defenses coached by Wade Phillips, perhaps that is his one Achilles heel.  Of course, the scheme only does so much, and it’s the players themselves who must make the plays.  Under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams scored enough points on offense to mitigate the ball control run-heavy offenses of opponents.  The Rams run-pass option offense scored a lot of point, forcing even run heavy opponents to pass to try to keep up.

“For us, I think Fangio and the Bears did an outstanding job of a sound scheme with versatility mixed with great players,” McVay said via Lorin Cox interview from nbcsports.com

That all changed in 2019.  And perhaps a bit in the post-season as well.  The Rams were involved in close games, defensive struggles, and their defense simply could not come up with the stop despite the down and distance.  So when the Rams needed a new defensive coordinator, head coach Sean McVay sought a protege to the toughest defense he faced – that of Vic Fangio.

Denver Broncos OLB coach Brandon Staley was that protege’.  He followed Fangio from Chicago to Denver, and welcomed the sage advice from Fangio whenever it was offered.  Much like offensive coordinators who run far different plays based on defenders’ reactions, Fangio runs far different plays based on what defenders see unfold in front of them. The results are uncannily effective, and deceptive.

Fangio, and Staley, mix coverages. Zone defense linebackers is a subtle way to disguise man coverage on the corners. Showing blitz from one position, but rolling back to coverage and blitzing elsewhere is incredibly effective too.

Perhaps most of all, It is the design of that defensive scheme for defensive linemen to occupy blockers, while edge rushers must win their single block and sack the quarterback. This is the ideal scheme for a young defensive lineman like NT Greg Gaines, who has specialized in doing that very thing.

Reason 1 – Rams hired an offensive coordinator who will game plan to Goff’s strengths

Rams quarterback Jared Goff never seemed to be comfortable in the pocket in 2019.  There are good reasons for that, he was playing behind an offensive line who were introducing themselves to one another at the opening snap.  If that wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, the Rams all but abandoned rushing the ball and placed the outcome of games more and more upon Goff’s throwing arm.

It’s hard to tell whether it was concern over the running game, the offensive line play, or the sheer number of passing plays called week after week. Whatever the cause, Goff appeared to be a quarterback fleeing for his life on many plays in each game. No matter who the quarterback, if a defense can rattle them, they have a great chance of winning the game. Rams opponents were able to do that in seven of sixteen games.

From the moment the LA Rams announced hiring new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, that all changed. O’Connell fills a new role for the Rams, as the offensive coordinator role had gone unfilled since former OC Matt LaFleur left to take a similar role with the Tennessee Titans.

While McVay will continue to call the plays for the foreseeable future, O’Connell will ultimately be responsible for co-development of weekly game plans, as well as aiding play design.  For the LA Rams to succeed, head coach Sean McVay must be more involved in the entire team. For him to have the time to devote outside of the offense, he must have someone to whom he can delegate offensive responsibilities. O’Connell fills that role.

O’Connell’s role is complex, but not dependant, upon McVay

This is not a puppet, nor figurehead, role created.  This role will be critical to ensuring the playbook for each week optimizes strengths of the Rams, and exploits weaknesses for that week’s opponent.  A true focus of this role will be to restore Jared Goff’s comfort and confidence in the pocket once more.

While O’Connell did not have much to work with at the Washington Redskins, he was able to get the most from what he had. Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins struggled with his first year in the NFL. But it was time he spent working with O’Connell which showed dramatic improvement on game-day Sunday.

With the 2019 Rams, McVay developed a game plan which the offense ran, successful or not. Adding O’Connell to the mix allows the Rams to enter games with “plan B” or even “Plan C” plans, depending how the game unfolds.

In 2019, the LA Rams finished 9-7.  in 2020, the Rams can finish 12-4. That will be good enough to win the NFC West.  Of course, the Rams must still fill the roster, draft new prospects, and settle upon their 53-man roster. But so far, the team has made the right moves to return to the NFL Playoffs in 2020.

Of course, the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Arizona Cardinals will all make their own statements regarding the outcome of the NFC West.  Still, we haven’t touched on improving performances of WR Brandin Cooks nor RB Todd Gurley. There is plenty of off-season to go.  But the Rams are making the right moves at the right times to improve enough to be NFC West division champions once more.