2 young LA Rams stars at doorstep of achieving something not done since 2018

When it comes to the LA Rams offense, the Rams certainly seem to have three levels of performance. When the Rams do not have running back Kyren Williams or quarterback Matthew Stafford on the football field, this Rams offense struggles to score points. Period. Of course, the sample size may be too small to draw any comprehensive conclusions. The Rams played one game without Stafford under center, and his backup quarterback Brett Rypien was clearly not up to the challenge.

But even when the Rams have Stafford under center, the offense does not seem to click well enough. The Rams offense becomes too predictable, and too one-dimensional. When the Rams do not have RB Kyren Williams in the backfield, the Rams offense never seems to get out of second gear. That is a problem for this team.

When the Rams rush Kyren Williams and get him over 100 yards, the Rams offense takes it to that third level. Overdrive. The Rams offense can score points against even the stingiest defenses.

But there is a third contributor to this LA Rams offense, a rookie wide receiver by the name of Puka Nacua who is having a record-setting season. So far, he has been the hands-down most effective offensive weapon for this Rams offense in 2023.

The LA Rams offensive triad

To help envision the impact of this trinity on the Rams ability to score, we wanted to illustrate each player's performance per game this year. The results are below:

Game	Stafford passing	Stafford passing yds	Williams carries	Williams rushing yds	Nacua catches	Nacua yards	Rams score
@ Seahawks	24 of 38	334	15	52	10 of 15	119	30 (W)
49ers	34 of 55	307	14	52	15 of 20	147	23 (L)
@ Bengals	18 of 33	269	10	38	5 of 7	72	16 (L)
@ Colts	27 of 40	319	25	168	9 of 10	163	29 (W)
Eagles	21 of 37	222	13	53	7 of 11	71	14 (L)
Cardinals	15 of 24	226	20	153	4 of 7	26	26 (W)
Steelers	14 of 29	231	---	---	8 of 12	154	17 (L)
@ Cowboys	13 of 22	162	---	---	3 of 7	42	20 (L)
@ Packers	---	----	---	---	3 of 7	32	3 (L)
Seahawks	17 of 31	190	---	---	5 of 7	70	17 (W)
@ Cardinals	25 of 33	229	16	143	4 of 8	27	37 (W)
Browns	22 of 37	279	21	88	4 of 7	105	36 (W)
@ Ravens	23 of 41	294	25	114	5 of 8	84	31 (L)
Totals	253 of 420	3,062	159	801	82 of 126	1,113	299

So what is the fuss all about? Well, to put it simply, RB Kyren Williams has rushed for 801 rushing yards in just nine games, and WR Puka Nacua already has 1,113 yards in 13 games. At their current pace, they will both clear 1000 yards apiece by the end of the 2023 NFL season.

The last time the LA Rams had a running back run for over 1000 rushing yards while a receiver caught over 1000 receiving yards was 2018, In that year, QB Jared Goff threw for 4,688 yards, RB Todd Gurley rushed for 1,251 yards, and WRs Robert Woods (1,219 yards) and Brandin Cooks (1,204 yards). In that year, the LA Rams finished with a record of 13-3.

While the Rams are not going to end the season anywhere close to the success of the 2018 team, the Rams can anticipate a great deal more success next year. Are the Rams on track for 13 wins next year? Perhaps. In the end, it all comes down to how well the Rams finish in 2023.

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