After 13 games, the LA Rams have climbed their way back to this select NFL tier

When the LA Rams strategized how to reboot the team after a 5-12 record in 2022, the front office did not exactly have an unlimited number of options to choose from. After several years of adding game changing talent, sometimes for as little as one or two seasons, the Rams had little stashed away for a rainy day. And yet, there was no doubt among LA Rams staffers and personnel execs, it was rainy and gloomy for the Rams.

Rather than just tear everything down and try to get whatever value the team could get via the flea market section of the NFL trade market, the Rams opted for a different strategy. Of perhaps the better description is to describe the plan as a familiar plan with a new twist.

The Rams knew that getting back to the NFL Playoffs was no longer a matter of signing the right player or players. The team's basic construction had to be overhauled. And so, the Rams opted to rework the defense in 2023, and bring back many of the same offense as 2022. After 2023, the Rams would revisit offensive needs in the 2024 offseason, and address those needs more holistically

Rams defense outperformed the Rams offense initially

Of course, plans often go awry and the Rams hope for a strong offense in 2023 did not exactly pan out at first. The Rams lost veteran WR Cooper Kupp, their most dangerous offensive weapon, for the first four weeks of the season. RB Cam Akers, who many hoped would pick right up where he left off in 2022, got into a dispute over his usage and played just one game for the Rams. Running backs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers were injured after six games. And then there was the throwing hand injury to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The Rams offense faced a great number of challenges and overwhelming adversity in the first nine games of the 2023 NFL season, all of which contributed to the team scoring less than 20 points per game on average. That was not good enough to get the Rams offense out of the bottom third of NFL offensive rankings before the BYE.

But the Rams knew that, when healthy, this offense could and would score points. Since the Week 10 BYE, the Rams have averaged more than 30 points per game. Not coincidentally, the Rams' robust offensive rebound has paralleled the return to health of featured running back Kyren Williams.

This late season surge has helped to propel the Rams offense to a vantage point of inclusion among the Top 10 NFL offenses this season. It has also helped to explain why the Rams have played to a 3-1 record so far after their BYE.

Can the offense keep it up? There are reasons to believe so, as the Rams had just scored 67 points in the past two games, while facing the NFL's top two ranked defenses.

Of course, there are no guarantees in the NFL. But as long as the Rams offense can remain relatively healthy and is willing to commit to a balanced attack, the Rams can be one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL.