5 gold nuggets LA Rams showed in Week 1 win

III: Rams offensive line is the real deal

It certainly seemed to take the long way to get there, but the LA Rams finally settled on a starting five on the offensive line that stands as follows:

1. LT - Alaric Jackson | 6-foot-7 | 335 pounds
2. LG - Steve Avila | 6-foot-3 | 332 pounds
3. C - Coleman Shelton | 6-foot-4 | 299 pounds
4. RG - Joe Noteboom | 6-foot-5 | 321 pounds
5. RT - Rob Havenstein | 6-foot-8 | 330 pounds

While this was a well-kept secret into Week 1, the Rams offensive line is no longer a secret any longer. The offensive line may still be working through their 4 C's: Communication, coordination, cohesion, and chemistry, but they did put up a fine Week 1 effort.

Perhaps the best surprise-no-surprise was the dominance of LA Rams left guard Steve Avila. While this was his first live NFL action, you could tell that he has already aged quickly by practicing against All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. He showed up again and again in Week 1.

Of course, on the offensive line, the performance is less about making the highlight reels for positive plays, and more about not showing up on highlight reels for bad plays. While the Rams road graders are still working out how to open running lanes for their running backs, they were particularly effective at the most important job this season. That is, protecting starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

While it's easy to conclude that a more physical offensive line simply dominated the Seattle Seahawks defensive front, the true answer lies in the way that the Rams maintained a balanced offensive attack. Late in the game, the Rams rushed Cam Akers eight times for a total of just nine yards. But that series drew the Seahawks defense offsides twice, and also lured the frustrated Seahawks to commit an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The Rams rushed 40 times and passed 38 times. As a result, the LA Rams buried the Seahawks in Time of Possession by a margin that flirted with a 2:1 ratio. Nothing builds confidence in an offensive line than letting them grind it out.