LA Rams News: 12 package sets NFC West scrambling to duplicate

LA Rams News: 12-package in December 2019 set the NFL on fire with Tyler Higbee’s 522 yards. Now, NFC West teams want to duplicate

If you think NFL teams do not set their digital video recorders to record the LA Rams games for ideas, you are fooling yourselves. The NFC West division rivals seem to keep a close eye on the Rams. What the Rams do one year, they are implementing the following year. Case in point? Two tight end formations.

The LA Rams pulled out the common but infrequent use of two tight-end formations in the closing weeks of 2019 to help the running game, pass protection, and to put NFL defenses off balance. That sudden spike of the formation from less than 20 percent of the offensive plays to over 60 percent gave the Rams a huge pickup when they had the ball.

Two tight end benefits

The Rams deduced that NFL defenses found success countering their 11-package by adding speedy pass rushers to their defensive line. Fast pass rushers, particularly through A-gap blitzes, disrupted pass plays by getting to the quarterback Jared Goff before the Rams’ receivers made their break for the ball.

With two tight ends, the Rams found that they could chip at the leaner-but-speedy edge rushers, giving the Rams offensive line more time to react to rushing blitzes. And the formation afforded the Rams more blockers, which also gave the team better running options.  The move was a nice counterpunch to the steps NFL defenses had taken to ground the Rams air attack.