Nate Scheelhaase must help restore creativity to predictable Rams offense

The Los Angeles Rams have finally evened up their record, strung together consecutive wins, and begun to deliver on optimistic projections that bombarded fans throughout the offseason. So all's good, right? Well, not so fast, my friend.

It's true that LA boasts a potent offense - top-four in yards and top-10 in points. But there are many differences in this season's output versus the output from the same cast of characters in 2025.

Fair or not, the most significant difference is the change at offensive coordinator. The Rams lost Mike LaFleur when he took the helm with the Arizona Cardinals. In his place, they promoted rising young coaching star Nate Scheelhaase.

The offense has lagged behind. Despite a potent running back duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, the Rams shied away from the run game earlier this season. They have averaged 4.7 yards per carry, which ranks among the top five rushing offenses.

Unfortunately, LA is only stacking up 125.5 rushing yards per game. That's because the team is averaging just 26.6 attempts. Compare that to the first-ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who average more than 33 rushes per game.

Rams offense has been more rigid this season

What made the offense so special last season was its unpredictability. When the Rams struggled with healthy receivers, they debuted a 13-personnel strategy that stunned defenses. It was that willingness to try something new that broke the offensive playbook wide open.

LA scored an average of 30.5 points per game in 2025. Virtually the same core of players is only averaging 24.3 points this season.

The Rams are a bit predictable. The offense comes out firing behind Matthew Stafford's less-than-certain passing. As that strategy has yielded diminishing results, they have finally turned to the run. Thankfully, running the football has been a partial solution.

Still, LA has yet to give speedy receiver Tutu Atwell much work. Rookies Max Klare and CJ Daniels haven't gotten a shot. As the Rams near the playoff push period, neither is likely to see many targets this season.

LA's offense can be effective. But it's not rewriting playbooks as it did in 2025. Perhaps head coach Sean McVay is hesitant to commit to his young coordinator. But the team continues to overwork Puka Nacua, hesitate to commit to a strong run game, and completely ignore potential weapons.

That's a recipe for future struggles. Scheelhaase will have to help McVay steer this offense clear.

As always, thanks for reading.

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