3 LA Rams issues we spend too much time talking about after Week 3

Topic II: LA Rams’ offensive struggles

In 2021, the LA Rams offense began the season as though they were shot out of a cannon. After three games, starting quarterback had thrown 66 of  94 for 942 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception.  The Rams rushing attack was 76 runs for 251 yards and two touchdowns.

This year, Stafford is 74 of 102 for 761 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. The ground game has rushed 64 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns.  But that does not tell the whole story.

For all intents and purposes, the biggest ‘difference’ in the LA Rams offense in 2021 was the insertion of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford into the offense that was practically completely intact from 2020. This year, the LA Rams have not started the same five offensive linemen in any consecutive week, the Rams’ skill players are undergoing their own version of an early-season turnstile, and the Rams offense is struggling to find its identity with so many moving parts.

Rams have plenty of spare offensive parts

All of this constant troubleshooting and problem-solving has exhausted the team’s ability to bring along the new weapons at their expected pace. Where is WR Allen Robinson in this offense? Where is WR Tutu Atwell in this offense? For now, the Rams appear to have moved on without them.

But the offense is beginning to hit bedrock. The offensive line will send out the same five starters who played in Week 3. The Rams are not currently reeling from any new NFL suspensions. and with the exception of an illness to left guard David Edwards, the Rams are not suffering from any new injuries.

So is this the moment that the LA Rams start getting WR Allen Robinson move involved in the offense, or is this as good as it gets for him? I think business will pick up for Robinson. The Rams have gained more yards per reception from Robinson than any other receiver, which will only improve in October.  But even with just 12 targets in three games, Robinson is still operating as effectively as he did in 2021:

There is more to this than meets the eye. The Rams have spent almost all of their time simply trying to stitch together the right healthy players to a more straightforward game plan to win games. Now that the Rams roster is showing some semblance of continuity, the Rams playbook can begin to bring other weapons online and throw new wrinkles at unsuspecting defenses.