Are LA Rams on track for trio to cross the 1K yard plateau?

The LA Rams hoped for three 1000 yards receivers. After three weeks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are on pace. Who is the third?

The LA Rams were eager to get to the 2020 NFL season, but perhaps no group so much as the Rams passing group. After all, the Rams passing offense boasted both Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp among the NFL’s distinguished 1000 yard receivers, and tight end Tyler Higbee had such an outstanding December 2019 with 522 yards, that the team was eager to try to continue that momentum.

The Rams have played three weeks of football. There are 16 games in a season. So the math suggests that players who aim for 1000 yards at either rushing or receiving need to be at 187.5 yards now. So where are the LA Rams with that mile marker? Well, first things first. The key to any passing offense begins with the quarterback. How do the Rams look there?

Goff’s pace proves he’s back

For starters, Rams quarterback Jared Goff is already the seventh-ranked passer in the NFL, with 863 passing yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.  Low and behold, he is on track for a 4,600 yard passing season, the same plateau he has been these past two seasons. But a deeper dive into the pace he has is showing very positive signs.  If you go with the current pace, the Rams quarterback is on track for 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

But if you toss out the early interception due to uncalled hands-to-the-face penalty, Goff ends up with 27 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.  Statistically, that is in the same neighborhood as his 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons, when the Rams were 11-5 and 13-3 respectively. So the Rams offensive line is playing much better. The LA Rams running game is going very well. And Goff is back. Now, onto that receiver question.

Kupp, Woods, Henderson on track

If the pace for 1000 yards is 187.5 yards, then both Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are on track to reach that plateau this season.  With Kupp at 228 yards and one touchdown, he is the team leader and is the 19th-ranked receiver in the NFL.  Woods is not far behind with 193 yards and one touchdown, and he is the 23rd ranked receiver in the NFL. They are just two dangerous weapons that the Rams can call upon each week.

Of course, the Rams have running back Darrell Henderson on pace to rush for over 1000 yards, if he can keep up the pace that is. So who is left “in the running”?

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Higbee, Reynolds, Brown can get there

Any month can propel a player onto a different trajectory. Right now, the Rams have three players who truly only need a nudge to get onto the 1000 yard track. So who are they?  They are TE Tyler Higbee, WR Josh Reynolds, and RB Malcolm Brown (running). Let’s dive deeper.

Tight End Tyler Higbee is currently at 134 yards (-53 yards off the pace) and boasts three touchdowns. He is the steady-Freddie receiver, as he has caught passes for 40 plus yards in all three Rams games so far. He has been catching practically everything thrown his way, In fact, his 10 of 11 receptions has him at a career-high 91 percent reception rate. At this pace, if the Rams toss 90 passes his way as they had in the past, he will break 1000 yards with 80 receptions and a 13 yards per catch average.

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds is currently at 110 yards (-77 yards off the pace) and has been the most pleasant surprise of the Rams 2020 offense. How so? He’s a career 50 percent reception receiver who is suddenly catching everything being thrown his way. The Rams are slowly increasing the number of passes going his way. Right now he is seven of eight catches. At his average of 15 yards per catch, he needs 67 receptions to cross the 1000 yard threshold.  He has never had that many footballs tossed his way before. And yet, if he continues to run a reception rate of 87 percent, he will get many more opportunities than he had in the past. It may be a long shot, but he could put on his career season just before he enters NFL free agency.

Running back Malcolm Brown is currently at 145 yards (-42 yards off the pace) and has provided the Rams that do-it-all running back who has been critical for the Rams offense so far. Brown is so much more than a runner. He is the player who sticks it to anyone blitzing Goff between the tackles. And he’s even proven to be a weapon in the passing game as he has churned out three receptions for 31 yards already this season.

The Rams offense will only get better

The Rams may not be the best passing offense in the NFL. But they have enough weapons to win games and remain a top-10 offense in the process. The Rams have three key rookies on offense in running back Cam Akers, wide receiver Van Jefferson, and tight end Brycen Hopkins. While the Rams have only begun to ease these youngsters into their offense, they will be a formidable offense.

After three weeks, the Rams offense is the third-best offense in yardage, and sixth-best in points scored. The team has truly asserted itself in the running game, and is rock solid in the passing game. And yet, three players are not even truly hitched up to this offense yet. By year’s end Jefferson, Akers, and to a lesser extent, Hopkins will show up on the stat sheet.  Is it critical for the Rams to get three players on the list for 1000 receiving yards? Not as important to get a Super Bowl victory this year.