5 gold nuggets LA Rams showed in Week 1 win

The LA Rams are 1-0. That is just one win, but it was a game that, on paper, the Rams should not have won. While it was just one win, if you dig beyond the basic box stats, you will find that there were a number of solid facts that suggest that this was not some fluke. This was not just a game of random events, but a solid win where two of three units for the Rams outplayed even the most optimistic expectations.

While 1-0 guarantees nothing more than a team that will not lose all 17 games this season, it was a desperately needed victory for the Rams in many ways. This is a young Rams roster, a team that was comfortable trading, cutting, or simply allowing the contracts to expire for a host of solid veteran NFL performers.

And while that is just one win, the Rams showed enough in the victory to squelch the doomsday predictions and 'sky is falling,' national narratives that have become all too common so far this season.

So to what can we attribute this sensational victory? After all, this was a game that was not handed to the LA Rams. This was a game that was won on the road against a very competitive NFC West Division rival. To win this one, the LA Rams roster had to put up a very valiant effort. We have come up with 5 gold nuggets from Week 1 that hold promise for a solid season.

5 gold nuggets LA Rams showed in Week 1 win

1. V: Rams Red Zone blocking was off the charts
2. IV: Rams pass rush has a pulse
3. III: Rams offensive line is the real deal
4. II: Rams are not taking any crap from opponents this year
5. I: Rams defense shut down Seahawks offense in second half

V: Rams Red Zone blocking was off the charts

There are a lot of persons who emerged after just one game already soured on the LA Rams rushing offense. Some are calling for Rams running back Cam Akers to be traded, released,benched, or demoted. And yet, they seem to be missing the point.

Although it was not perfect, the LA Rams got what they needed to get out of their running game. What did the Rams do on the ground in Week 1? Well, the Rams ran the football 40 times for just 92 yards. While not impressive on the yards per run statistic (2.3 YPC), the Rams did run for more yardage than the Seattle Seahawks. That reminds me of an old joke that I heard long ago:

Q: "How fast do you need to run to escape a hungry Grizzly bear?"
A: "Just faster than the other guys with you."

While the Rams may have hoped for more than 92 yards, they did rush further than their opponent. But we have shiny gold nugget for you on this topic as well.

Rams Red Zone effectiveness

When the LA Rams needed to score in the Red Zone, they ran the football behind rookie left guard Steve Avila. Running back Kyren Williams scored twice by staying in Avila's shadow and pushing the football across the plane.

When the Seattle Seahawks made adjustments to plug that hole, running back Cam Akers simply bounced it to the outside and waltzed it into the endzone untouched.

Eventually, defenses will track and try to counter the Rams' ability to punch it in on the left side whenever the team is in the Red Zone. But putting eight in the box plays right into the Rams wheelhouse.

Avila looked very sharp in his first start for the LA Rams, and he will simply get better and better.

IV: Rams pass rush has a pulse

The LA Rams cleared their roster of any and all veteran outside linebackers in 2022 and in the 2023 offseason, leaving just defensive tackle-turned-outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, a late-season signing of OLB Zach VanValkenburg, and multiple rookies added via the 2023 NFL Draft.

Without a doubt, the Rams have one of the least expensive edge groups in the NFL. So is this a situation where you get what you pay for? Not exactly. Not only did the LA Rams generate 2.0 quarterback sacks in the season opener (and hopefully will do better as the season goes on), but the cast of Aaron Donald and his no-name colleagues were flying all over the field in that season opener.

The best news in the aftermath is the realization that this was truly a group effort. Just check out Brian Baldinger's analysis, and how the LA Rams defenders are flying around on each play:

In the video footage above, did you see how the LA Rams defensive front stunted, leaving three Seattle Seahawks offensive linemen to pivot towards rookie nose tackle Kobie Turner, and allow Aaron Donald to stunt behind him, racing to Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and forcing Smith to throw the football before the play had time to develop.

This was a solid effort. But over the course of the 2023 NFL season, there will be bad games, good games, and even better games. Young teams improve over time, and the LA Rams roster is certainly very young. But the best is yet to come, I believe.

While it was not a perfect performance, it was certainly a promising one. And in Week 1, a promising performance is as good as we can hope for.

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.

II: Rams are not taking any crap from opponents this year

The LA Rams knew from the opening kickoff that this game would not come easy. By halftime, the Seattle Seahawks had begun to pull away, taking a 13-7 lead into the second half. Well, the Seahawks kicked off to the Rams to open the third quarter, and the LA Rams proceed to march the football 75 yards for the go-ahead score. From that point on, the LA Rams never looked back.

But LA Rams defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon certainly should have. After all, had he kept his head on a swivel, he may have caught the nefarious block in the back well away from the action by Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. Witherspoon was shaken up on the play, and was helped off the field with a bruised him and knee.

No flags flew on this block from behind, which could easily have drawn unsportsmanlike conduct. Normally, plays like this frustrate the hell out of me, because the referees do not throw flags, and it leaves me with a hollow feeling that the Rams just got punked.

Not this time. Before the very next play, Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf continued to jaw on and was flagged for Taunting - a 15-yard penalty. Better yet, he woke a sleeping giant. The LA Rams defensive front sacked Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith on each of the next two plays. Unlike occasions in the past where a cheap shot artist seemed to get away with one, the LA Rams' entire defense rallied to a loud and undeniable response.

It looks like the LA Rams are not going to take cheap shots, trash talking, or any other form of football bullcrap in the future.

I: Rams defense shut down Seahawks offense in second half

One of the more frustrating observations from the 2022 NFL season was the fact that the LA Rams seemed to be a first half team. On more than one occasion, the Rams would enter halftime with a lead or close behind on the scoreboard. But the wheels would fall off in the second half, and the Rams would end the game on the short end of the scoreboard.

That was a bit difficult to accept, and even more so after the LA Rams had such a successful 2020 NFL season in which the Rams seemed to master the art of halftime adjustments. So how good or bad were the LA Rams in the second half? You tell me:

The Rams seemed to get stronger, smarter, and faster as the game went on. In fact, it was difficult to pick out a play or two in the second have that featured the standard of play that the Rams were competing at, because the entire team seemed to find it's groove after the second half kickoff.

Two standouts for the LA Rams were outside linebacker Byron Young and nose tackle Kobie Turner, both of whom competed in their first NFL live action, and both performed as well as or better than expected.

This may not have been the ideal performance, but the Rams' defense rattled the Seahawks' cage in the second half, and never let up. It was a total domination, a second-half beatdown that required a full night's sleep to truly appreciate.

The LA Rams have a far more difficult challenge in Week 2. The San Francisco 49ers just beat up on a very physical Pittsburgh Steelers team but running veteran RB Christian McCaffrey for over 150 yards. It's no secret to expect the 49ers to lean just as heavily on McCaffrey in Week 2.

The Rams have their work cut out for them for Week 2. But nobody expected the LA Rams to win in Week 1, but they did. Perhaps the Rams play better when nobody expects them to win?: