Can the LA Rams play error free football to win in Week 18?

Winning may seem to be everything in the NFL. But winning does not happen simply out of participation, showing up, or selling tickets to pack the stands with cheering fans. For the LA Rams in Week 18, winning means winning the NFC West Division, retaining the second seed berth in the upcoming NFC Playoffs, and shaking the troublesome five-game losing streak to the rival San Francisco 49ers.

But winning the last game will also extend the LA Rams‘ current winning streak to six games, a winning streak that has yet to witness the LA Rams at full strength playing to their full potential.  And I was made aware while watching the Saturday games of NFL Week 18 of a previously unknown statistic. Of the past nine Super Bowl winners, seven teams had won the last game of the season.

So sitting starters and accepting a loss to keep starters healthy and give players an extra week of rest does not hold up in terms of historic successful strategies. The Rams must play to win in Week 18. Now, how can the Rams do that against the team that has had their number over the past three seasons?

Rams offense starts slow

So we’ve talked in a previous article about how the LA Rams seem to be stuck in the same ole unsuccessful offensive strategy that has allowed the San Francisco 49ers to dictate the pace, the time of possession, and the outcome of their recent clashes.  In the context of the Rams’ losses, one of the more curious statistics to emerge is the fact that the LA Rams continue to lose the battle of turnovers.

Of course, over the course of the 2021 NFL season, the LA Rams should have taken notes about their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford. As the season has drawn on, a pattern has most definitely developed that the Rams coaching staff should be aware of.

Since the LA Rams have parted ways with WR DeSean Jackson, the Rams offense has no longer opened games with guns blazing. Actually, the opposite has been occurring and the offense has been shooting itself in the foot early.  While the Rams have managed to overcome early miscues in the past two games, they have not altered their game plan to address the matter effectively.

Turnaround time for turnovers

The Rams can win the game while playing smarter. For starters, the Rams should give serious consideration to going to their 12-personnel package and even inserting offensive lineman Joe Noteboom in to establish the run early. Once the Rams have the 49ers loading the box with big bodies to stop the run, then turn the passing game loose.

Week 18 is important. And for the LA Rams, it’s as much about troubleshooting what the team does wrong to lose games as much as putting up a game-winning effort. Not turning over the ball is critical if the Rams are to have any hope of winning in the post-season. The Rams will face much tougher competition, and each week the opposition will grow more and more effective.

So it’s up to the coaches to set up the offense to win the matchups early. That means doing more than a pass, pass, interception mindset. Is this the game where the Rams try something a bit different? Do the Rams challenge the 49ers’ defense this week?

We’ll soon see. As long as the LA Rams can control the football without giving it away, they should emerge with a long-overdue win against the 49ers. Can the Rams weather the storm of early miscues to settle into a win? I expect that they can.