5 ways LA Rams failed to deliver for QB Matthew Stafford in 2021

Running game

When the LA Rams traded for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, it was almost a unanimous consensus that the Rams would give Stafford a rushing attack that he had not enjoyed before in his NFL career.

Only, the Rams didn’t. In fact, the LA Rams’ rushing offense of 1,683 yards for the 2021 NFL season averaged just 99.0 yards per game (25th ranked in the NFL). The Detroit Lions’ offense put up 1,886 yards on the ground, good for 110.9 yards per game (19th ranked in the NFL).  The LA Rams had only rushed less once under head coach Sean McVay, their 2019 season when they averaged just 93.7 yards per game.

The Detroit Lions put up fewer yards on the ground in 2011, 2014-17, and 2020. So for his 12 seasons with the Lions, Stafford’s experience was split 50/50 over better run support.

Hopefully, the Rams have not abandoned the running game. As we learned and lobbied all too often over the course of the 2021 NFL season, a strong running game, or perhaps simply a strong offensive commitment to the ground game, reaps benefits beyond the offense. In fact, both defense and special teams benefit as well.

There is work to be done to remedy that rushing attack. We’ll be discussing that topic at length throughout the offseason.

Matthew Stafford summary

The reason to talk through this list of trouble spots is not to take some cheap shots at the NFL Championship team. On the contrary, the LA Rams toughed it out through seemingly insurmountable adversity with their date with destiny to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The reason for this though exercise is to dismiss the speculation that Matthew Stafford was placed into a winning offense and just rode shotgun to victory.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Stafford probably worked harder in the 2021 season than at any point in his long NFL career. He arrived on this team with only a vague idea of what to expect, and a steep learning curve in order to lead the offense.

The entire season was filled with a constant stream of new and ever-changing challenges. With all of this behind him, will Stafford have a better 2022 NFL season?  Perhaps. But he’s certainly proven to be able to master any challenge that comes his way so far, so my money is on him to put up even better numbers in 2022.

I think that Stafford has shown far more than expected, and certainly more than many have given him credit for. Perhaps after reading this, you may see 2022 as a year for Stafford to do even better.