3 Reasons why NFL Expert touts Rams offense as 1 of NFL's best for 2024

Kimes cites these reasons for ranking Rams offense so highly

The LA Rams offense finished in 2023 as the seventh best offense in terms of offensive yards gained. Flipping to the offensive points scored, the Rams offense finished in 2023 as the eighth most effective offense last season. But keep in mind that starting QB Matthew Stafford played in 15 games, WR Cooper Kupp played in only 12 games, and featured running back Kyren Williams only played in 12 games.

The LA Rams final five starting offensive linemen only took the field together in seven games in 2023. So the offense finishing so highly last season is an amazing accomplishment. So what factors does Mina Kimes cite as reasons to project this offense so highly in 2023?

III: Stafford/Williams together matched 49ers offensive output

Kimes showcases her command of analyzing NFL teams by casually stating how dominant the Rams offense was in 2023 when both QB Matthew Stafford and RB Kyren Williams took the football field together. It makes sense too, as the pair amplified the strengths of one another, resonating the offensive option to pass against a run defense and to run against a pass defense. Because the pair was capable of taking advantage of the wrong defensive formation, the Rams offense was nigh unstoppable.

II: Rams run game sawed through Ravens defense on the road

When the LA Rams traveled across the nation to take on the Baltimore Ravens in a downpour, the expectation was that the Rams would be outclassed in all three phases in the football game. Despite allowing Ravens QB Lamar Jackson to run roughshod all over the football field, the running game of their offense held their own. Williams ran 25 times for 114 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry in what amounted to some of the worst NFL field conditions possible.

I: Rams run into light boxes, and are effective when doing so

The sudden appearance of the running game in this offense in 2023 was such a boost to the offense, and to the career of QB Matthew Stafford, that I am a bit dismayed that this was not a strategy that the team employed in 2022. Of course, the team struggled with the injury outbreak among offensive linemen that season, but the presence of the running game seems to be the great equalizer in terms of slowing down opposing pass rushers and giving the team's defense a chance to catch their breath.

This was the first time that the Rams seemed to lean into the running game at key moments of the game, and the ability to run with the football delivered. That ability to dictate the terms of an NFL game on the ground was a surprise last season. In 2024, I believe it will become the team's bread-and-butter strategy.

While Kimes showed comprehensive understanding of the Rams rising offense, there are some points that were either glossed over or mentioned as a side note that I believe should take center stage for the rising offensive optimism.