LA Rams offensive line ranked third best in NFL for 2020 by PFF

Arise and be heard

Per the Pro Football Focus article on the topic, much of what we expected to take place simply took place. Ageless Andrew Whitworth had a sensational season before falling to injury.  Austin Corbett took advantage of a full offseason with the LA Rams (albeit much of it virtual) and Austin Blythe excelled with a full season at the center position.

Even right tackle Rob Havenstein had a huge resurrection in 2020.  When the team started David Edwards at left guard, the offensive line as a whole dominated. Even with Joseph Noteboom at either left guard or taking over for Whitworth at left tackle, the offensive line was stout enough to win games.

The optics when Bobby Evans stepped in for Edwards at left guard lined up with his 43.4 grade from PFF for postseason play. That combined with Austin Blythe’s grade of 69.2 for his postseason work revealed where the Rams failed in the playoffs. The Rams simply were unable to compensate for the loss of David Edwards in the playoffs, and that hurt the team’s chances to advance.

That should not diminish what the offensive line did in 2020. Despite all starters returning from injury (Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe both had offseason corrective surgery), the Rams made the correct decisions repeatedly on the proper strategy to restore the offensive line to its 2018 status. And now, after the 2020 NFL season rests in the history books, what must the Rams do to improve at offensive line in 2021?