As LA Rams cool on Goff, NFL Rumors heat up on Texans’ Watson

LaFleur leaves, and the Rams offense regresses

But perhaps too little credit was given to then offensive coordinator Matt LeFleur. He was the offensive coordinator for the LA Rams in 2017, which coincides with the sudden showcase of Goff’s talent. Since he became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, the Packers’ offense looks very Ram-esque with a strong and diverse running game used to set up a deadly passing game.

Since LeFleur’s departure, the Rams offense continued to improve in 2018 on momentum but has since fallen from the second-placed offense in 2018, to the seventh-placed offense in 2019, to the eleventh-placed offense in 2020. Of course, 2019 was masked behind a bad offensive line. Or was it? So much time passed before the Rams modified the offense to reflect the fact that 80 percent of the offensive line was injured,

This is not a scarecrow tactic to deflect criticism of Goff. But oftentimes we treat the symptoms and fail to cure the underlying problem. After all, the Rams discovered in December 2019 that tight end Tyler Higbee could flash the brilliance of elite play. His 522 yards receiving was outstanding. After the season, not only were the Rams hyped to get him back onto the field but were eager to line him up next to teammate TE Gerald Everett. The results?

The pair combined for under 1000 yards and just six, thwarting the bold preseason claims of getting one if not both to the 1000 yards plateau this season.  That was after the pair combined for over 1100 yards and five touchdowns in 2019.  The Rams simply forget about the tight end position in the postseason this year. Everett was absent in two games, while Higbee caught three of five passes for nine yards.  Was that all on Goff as well? Or did the Rams simply fall into the same old patterns of three and four wide receiver sets, just as they had done in 2018?

It was not until the Rams were forced to start backup quarterback John Wolford that the Rams offense showed flashes of ingenuity and innovation. And that finally led the Rams to break out the wildcat against the Packers. Where was that all season?