An honest look at the LA Rams struggles so far in 2022

Cooper Kupp, and who else?

So far on the season, LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp has accumulated 49 catches for 527 yards and 4 touchdowns. He could very well be in contention for another triple crown by the season’s end. However, Cooper Kupp is the only thing that this Rams offense has to hang its hat on. Rams QB Matthew Stafford seems to have two reads on most plays so far this year. Kupp, Higbee, and then the turf.

The acquisition of former Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson was supposed to help take a ton of pressure off of Kupp. Instead, saying he has been an afterthought in this offense so far would be an understatement. He has tallied just 12 catches this season for a woeful 107 yards with a lone score.

The lack of a second threat has allowed defenses to key in on Cooper Kupp more than they normally would. He is an all-world talent, so of course, he is going to make his plays on the field. But with the other receivers unable of taking advantage of their one on ones, Kupp’s production can only do so much for the team. Outside of TE Tyler Higbee, WR Ben Skowronek has been the most consistent target not named Cooper Kupp. Skow has made some integral improvements this season, but he is not someone who is going to take the top off of defenses.

Running on empty

So how about that run game? In the team’s Week 5  loss, the Rams ran the football for a total of 38 yards on 15 attempts. It seems that Rams RB Cam Akers has supplanted RB Darrell Henderson as the starting running back for this football team.

However, he has not been very productive in doing so. With a 13-carry 33-yard performance against Dallas, fans and media alike are left scratching their heads. RB Darrell Henderson has seemed like the better running back so far this season, yet he isn’t getting anywhere near the volume that Akers is.

Henderson is averaging 4.1 yards per run, while Akers has only been averaging 3.0 yards per run. McVay might be holding onto what we saw from Akers in 2020, but he is lacking the ability to create more than what the run is blocked for. It may be time to get Henderson in there more often.

Even more troubling is the fact that the LA Rams re-signed veteran RB Malcolm Brown who has suited up for two games for the LA Rams so far, but who has yet to carry the football. He is a punishing-style of runner who could play well with the Rams’ current blocking limitations. But he cannot gain yards without the football.