LA Rams Trick or Treat? It’s our Halloween edition

Treat: Matthew Stafford electrifying offense

The LA Rams offense is very good, and getting better all the time. The reason is obvious. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is the ideal passer for the complex but tough-to-stop offense. Even with solid and lofty expectations, the most optimistic hopes have been shattered by what he has delivered so far in this offense.

Despite ranking just 10th among NFL quarterbacks with 241 passing attempts, he is ranked third in passing yards at 2,172 yards and second in touchdown passes at 19. That’s quite an improvement over last year’s total of just 20 touchdown passes, and the Rams have only completed seven games. Oh, Matthew Stafford has thrown 301 touchdown passes in his career.

Of course, an NFL season is filled with twists and turns and cul-de-sacs, but if Matthew Stafford continues at this current pace, he will end the season by throwing (based on 7 of 17 games completed so far):

406 completions from 584 attempts
5,275 yards
46 touchdowns
10 interceptions

The Rams franchise single-season All-Time record for passing yards is 4,830 yards currently held by legendary quarterback Kurt Warner. the Rams franchise single-season All-Time record for passing touchdowns is 41, also currently held by Kurt Warner.

Stafford is not nor ever has been about setting passing records. He merely does what needs to be done to win football games. Even as the argument had been made up to the opening kickoff of the season that the Rams needed a strong running game to have a chance at success, Stafford has proven that he merely needs the threat of the run to be effective.

No, Matthew Stafford does not walk on water. But he averages over 300 yards, two touchdowns, and .5 INTs per game. And the Rams need all that he’s got.

So far, the Rams have not run the ball effectively. So far, the Rams have been one of the worst NFL teams in terms of special teams’ play. And so far, the Rams defense has been a mixed bag of bending but not breaking.

So it’s up to you. What do you have in your candy bag? Do you have a trick? Are you blindly focused on bad special teams’ play that you ignore all else? Are you mesmerized by the hope that the Rams fire Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, that you fail to see that his defense is deadly effective in the red zone? Or do you have a treat? Can you see that Cooper Kupp is having a career-best season that rivals that of the best in NFL history? Do you remind yourself that Matthew Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, despite what some might say?

Don’t be a Charlie Brown. Don’t be the fan that only finds the rocks in your LA Rams treat bag. After all, the Rams are 6-1, the best they’ve been since their Super Bowl appearance in 2018. It’s time to enjoy what they are doing well and trust that the lagging pieces will improve in time for the playoffs.