4 areas could spell trouble for the LA Rams in Week 2

IV: Rams receiver drops

At the start of any new NFL season, there is always a punch list of things to clean up. While the Rams passing attack appeared to be running on all cylinders in the 2023 NFL season debut, there was at least one piston in the V-8 high performance engine that was not firing. And that was the number of drops by LA Rams receivers.

I'm not trying to suggest that the Rams passing offense was horrific. Quite the contrary, the Rams passing game was incredibly efficient in their Week 1 debut against their NFC West Division Rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. Matthew Stafford completed 24 of 38 passes for 334 yards, and was not sacked once. That was huge for a team that knows going into the 2023 NFL season that the offense will bear the burden of carrying the team.

How many yards and points did the Rams leave on the field?

The challenge is recognizing the fact that the LA Rams offense left a lot of yards and points on the football field due to unexpected drops by Rams receivers. While Staford completed 24 of 38 passes for 334 hards, had the Rams receivers caught all of the passes that slipped through their hands, Stafford likely would have ended the day at 30 of 38 passes with 450+ yards and two touchdowns.

While all three wide receivers had at least one drop, the backbreaker of the day was the drop on a long pass to veteran wide receiver Van Jefferson. It was a pass thrown on a first-down and ten yards to go from the Rams own 35 yard line. The pass sailed through Jefferson's hands, a pass that if caught would have likely been a 65-yard touchdowns strike.

When I explored social media for LA Rams WR Van Jefferson and his track record for dropped passes, I was very surprised to see that this has been an ongoing challenge for the Rams' young receiver. That simply has to be corrected for Week 2.