Rams vs. Colts: 6 eye popping stats that define Week 2 win

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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LA Rams News
Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /

Rams stat No. 5: Losing the time of possession

The LA Rams lose the battle for time of possession again but win the game. So why is that even getting mentioned? Well, it goes against logic. If the opposing offense has the ball longer, they have more opportunity to score.

Clearly, that is not what is happening with the LA Rams right now. They have outscored their opponents by a margin of 61 to 38. But when you look at the time of possession, the Rams held the football 53:10, while their opponents have held the football 66:50. That’s a huge difference, and the margin will likely increase as the season goes on. So what is causing this flip-flopping of logic?

One part of the answer lies in the running game. The Rams defense has allowed 121.5 yards per game, which is no better than 19th-best in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Rams offense is putting up just 87.5 yards per game, currently 25th-best in the NFL. Running the football keeps the clock moving, which keeps the opposing offense off the field.

Another factor is simply just how quickly the LA Rams offense can score. After falling behind in the game by a score of 21-17, the LA Rams offense needed just 2:03 to score a touchdown. In the drive, Stafford connected with WR Robert Woods once. Running back Sony Michel ran once. Then Stafford connected with WR Cooper Kupp twice, the second pass was a 10-yard touchdown.

The Rams can put up touchdowns in just two minutes’ time. While that will mean that the defense will be on the field longer, it’s not a bad problem to have.