LA Rams boast PFF’s Top 5 OL and DL in week one of 2021 NFL season

The football field at SoFi Stadium is the perfect stage for the LA Rams. Nestled amidst the site of the former Hollywood Park racetrack. The multi-year constructed architectural masterpiece cost well upwards of $5 billion to put into the ground. But the result is nothing short of spectacular.

The offense loves to attack defenses from sideline to sideline, and from the line of scrimmage to the end zone. The deep ball has returned to the Rams offensive arsenal, and it was readily on display as the team had two touchdown bombs of over 50+ yards from the line of scrimmage.

But it’s that line of scrimmage that is the focus of both the Rams offense and the defense. The contact point lies inches from either side of the football at each snap. The battle line where five percent of the storyline reaches the post-game writeups, and yet 95 percent of the real football action exists.

A small step for the LA Rams, a giant leap towards the Super Bowl

For a team that opened the season with lots of questions about their defensive line and offensive line, perhaps the first game will calm some fears, assuage some concerns, quiet some skeptics. The LA Rams faced a pretty good defensive front when the Rams had the ball and surrendered just one quarterback sack. When the Bears had the ball, the LA Rams pass rush got to him three times. It was a good first step for both sides of the football. We thought so. Now Pro Football Focus confirms it.

The LA Rams lost starting center Austin Blythe, defensive lineman Michael Brockers, and rotational defensive lineman Morgan Fox in the offseason. That’s a tall stack of firepower to make up for in one season’s OTAs and training camp. Somehow, it appears that the Rams organization pulled it off somehow.

For defensive line coach Eric Henderson, the ability to lock-and-load each year is expected. His ability to coach up quality defensive linemen from the ranks of those that many other NFL teams completely overlook is nothing short of miraculous. But his counterpart, offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, is a bit of a surprise as he had just hired one with the Rams this year.

Great NFL teams must win that battle in the trenches each time the football is snapped. Right now, that is what the LA Rams offensive and defensive linemen are doing. And it’s that reason why the LA Rams offense appeared so formidable on opening night.