LA Rams OL appears to have regressed. But here's what fans need to know

Rams offensive line is good, and getting better

One of the challenges of getting an objective assessment of this LA Rams offensive line is not to get swept up in the emotional rip tides that can inflict subjective takes on the group as a whole and on the individual players. Not many offensive lines can sustain an impenetrable wall of protection for a pocket passer quarterback if the defense knows that they have the opportunity to sell out on rushing the passer without consequences.

This was not the first time in the 49ers vs. Rams where the Rams abandoned the run game and launched an aerial assault against the 49ers defense. In fact, it's a very predictable pattern that Rams fans recogize all too often. The problem is that the 49ers defensive coordinator recognizes that pattern all too often as well. So what chance did the Rams offensive linemen truly have when everyone knew that it would be a pass play?

And yet, the Rams offensive linemen allowed just one quarterback sack in the game

Take the little victories when you can get them

One quarterback sack in two games is pretty solid stuff. But when you overlay the fact that the LA Rams offensive line has allowed just one sack after facing the San Francisco 49ers pass rush, a defense that averages 3.5 QB sacks per games when not facing the LA Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks, a team that averages 2.0 QB sacks when not facing the LA Rams, that stands out even more.

Of course, quarterback sacks are not the end-all statistic of an effective offensive line, but it is a very good place to start:

The top priority for the LA Rams offensive line for the 2023 NFL season was protecting veteran QB Matthew Stafford. Despite the lopsided playcalling, the young and formidable Rams offensive linemen are delivering exactly that.

The LA Rams allowed 59 quarterback sacks last season. That works out to 3.5 quarterback sacks per game. After two weeks in 2022, QB Matthew Stafford had already been sacked eight times. If the Rams' offensive linemen continue at their current pace or even improve over the course of this season, that may be close to the total number of sacks that Stafford endures this season.

The Rams are 1-1 so far. That is due, in no small part, to the work that OL Coach Ryan Wendall has done with this rejuvenated OL group. While promising, the sample is still small. We'll know a great deal more after Week 3 and Monday Night Football. Stay tuned