3 surprise discoveries revealed during the LA Rams opening win

I: How can NFL defenses stop this offense?

With a time of possession that approached a three to two disadvantage for the LA Rams, you might believe that the offense struggled in this one. If you compared 24 Chicago Bears’ first downs to just 18 LA Rams first downs, then you would feel that you had validated an outcome where the Bears snuck out of Los Angeles with a victory.  But that’s not the way the story goes.

The Bears had two turnovers and the Rams had none. The Rams had more total yards – 388 to 322. And finally, the Rams had 34 points to the Bears 14. The Rams ran just 50 offensive plays and put up 34 points. And this offense is just getting started.

The Rams red zone only resulted in two touchdowns in four attempts.

The Rams’ offense simply scored from anywhere. From the 33 yard line? Done. From the 42 yard line? Done. The Rams put up as many touchdowns outside of the red zone as within the red zone. That would seem to lead one to conclude that defenses need to play deep and keep everything in front of them. That’s a great theory.

But how can defenses truly commit two or three defensive backs to protect the back end of the defense when the Rams can just as easily pick apart defenses by throwing short-range or intermediate passes? If defenses load up their secondary with defensive backs in nickel or dime coverage packages, then the Rams simply run the ball. They can do that too.

For months, NFL defenses have played closer and closer to the line of scrimmage, daring the Rams to throw deep. Well, the Rams just accepted that challenge, and they did so with only a minimal contribution of DeSean Jackson. There was no more holding back in this one. There was no more shortening the football field to help the offense move the ball. The only time that the Rams let up on the Bears was when the team took over on downs at the Chicago Bears 27-yard line with two minutes remaining.

The Rams punted once in the entire game. Conversely, the team kicked two field goals and four extra points. No, it’s not time to pop the corks on champagne bottles. But it is a good opportunity to sit back and savor the taste of a very efficient victory to start the season.