PFF cites Rams group among the Top 5 of NFC and here's why they got it right

Why believe that Rams pass-centric offense can boast top RB room?

We delved into the Rams' offensive play distribution for the 2023 NFL season and learned that the team ran more frequently than in any other year under HC Sean McVay. In terms of play distribution, the team only surpassed the 45.0 percent running plays in 2017, the first year of McVay's offense. You can argue that it was the effectiveness of the run that emboldened the team to run so often, but that falls into the chicken vs. the egg argument.

Why do I, and others, lobby hard for the offense to maintain a true balance between the run and the pass? Well, there are benefits to the team by fielding a dangerous rushing attack. For starters, running plays ground out time off the play clock. In essence, the best defense an NFL team can muster is a strong offense. As long as the team's offense possesses the football, the opposing team can only score on a mistake.

But a strong running game also benefits the offense directly. If defenses must guess at the play, they are forced to hesitate. That fraction of a second delay can make all the difference in the world in terms of moving the chains or scoring a touchdown, or an unsuccessful play.

Kyren Williams returns

The first characteristic of any top-tier Rams running back group hinges on the presence of a dependable go-to guy who can churn out the yardage as well as punch it in for a score. And the return of RB Kyren Williams checks all of those boxes. While his longest run of 56 yards may not be viewed as a coast-to-coast scamper, Williams delivered an astounding average of 5.0 yards per run, and landed among the NFL's Top-3 rushers despite competing in just 12 games.

And his average of 1.0 touchdowns per game is a remarkably outstanding statistic.

The Rams' offense is incredibly dangerous when both starting QB Matthew Stafford and featured RB Kyren Williams suit up and play in the game together. When that happens, the Rams offense tied that of the San Francisco 49ers offense atop the NFL offensive rankings, which is one of the main facts pointed out by ESPNs NFL analyst Mina Kimes. The team plans to get 17 games out of both players in 2024. That is enough to serve notice to NFL defenses that the Rams will be scoring lots of points this season.