7 steps to get the LA Rams to the Super Bowl this year

V – Improve special teams

The LA Rams attempted to restore the special teams unit in 2020, but there is no doubt that the Rams were hampered by the inability to get direct contact until just days before the season. The Rams were tinkering with the return game early in the season, auditioning various players early in the year with mixed results.

This year, the team must put some attention on improving special teams. Of course, the team should have a huge jump start in the placekicker role with the discovery that kicker Matt Gay has both accuracy and power in the final seven games in the season. Even a full season of Gay kicking would have been a huge boost to the team’s offensive output. Gay was not only more accurate, but he was far more trustworthy to head coach Sean McVay. That combined over a full season may have added 24 more points to the Rams scoring.

Some thoughts to kick around

More field goals translate into fewer punts for Johnny Hekker. In 2020, Hekker had punted the sixth-most often in the NFL. More work through the season leads to more fatigue, more opportunities for a punt to be blocked, and more opportunities for opponents to get a huge return.

Finally, the LA Rams return and coverage units were very inconsistent and never seemed to be as prepared as other aspects of the Rams team. Of course, much of that can be attributed to the absence of any time to practice and drill those units, but it was a noticeable weakness on the team throughout the season. Winning a Super Bowl means putting effort into all aspects of a football team.