LA Rams veteran QB Matthew Stafford knows WR chemistry is key

Chemistry with Van Jefferson/DeSean Jackson

The Rams have a third-tier of wide receiver talent that can stretch the field, flood a zone, or simply outclass a weak secondary. The team will welcome back second-year receiver Van Jefferson and will debut the blazing speed of DeSean Jackson. Whether it’s due to Jefferson’s nearly redshirted-rookie season, Jackson’s injury history, or simply the fact that the Rams receivers are already held in a favorable light, there is a deafening silence over the upside of these two offensive weapons for the Rams in 2021.

As the Rams exploit defenses in one week’s time, the subsequent opposing defense will develop strategies to neutralize those primary receivers. So the Rams will need to have multiple targets to sustain pressure on the defense and continue to move the chains throughout the long 17-game season. Defenses may have the ability to clamp down on the Rams’ primary receivers, but there is little likelihood that the same thing will be said about Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson.

We know that DeSean Jackson’s speed will dictate that defenses use one cover defensive back and one defensive back over the top in a sign of great respect to Jackson’s speed. But how many believe in the speed of Van Jefferson?

The bottom line is that Jefferson is much faster than many give him credit for being. And it’s that ability to surprise defenders that will enable the Rams to push two receivers down the field and force the deep back to commit to one or the other. Of course, a savvy veteran like Stafford will fool defensive backs with his eyes and then throw to the other deep receiver.