Something about the LA Rams offense throwing the long ball

The setting? Week 1. The LA Rams had just intercepted a Chicago Bear’s pass off the hand of quarterback Andy Dalton. The Rams ran Darrell Henderson once for six yards. Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed his first pass for the LA Rams, passing seven yards for a first down to tight end Tyler Higbee. First down and ten yards to go from the LA Rams 33-yard line.  And then, the season changed for the team on the very next play.

It’s a long pass to a wide-open LA Rams receiver Van Jefferson, who falls down untouched and gets back up, and races to the end zone. Touchdown, Rams! Quarterback Matthew Stafford connects on a deep 67-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Van Jefferson, and the Rams jump out to an early lead, 7-0, over the Chicago Bears.

That was the first touchdown scored by the LA Rams in the 2021 NFL season. Since that score, the Rams have never looked back. It was not just that the Rams jumped out to the lead. It was something far more important. The deep ball was promised to return in 2021. And in one play, it roared back into the arsenal.

So far in 2021, the LA Rams have scored on a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cooper Kupp, a 67-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Van Jefferson, and a 75-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson. In fact, the only two players NOT getting long touchdown passes so far this season are wide receiver Robert Woods, who did get a two-yard touchdown pass in Week 1, and tight end Tyler Higbee, who scored on a six-yard touchdown pass in Week 3.