Rams offense needs to put more points on the scoreboard

Yes the LA Rams are 3-4 this season, but how many of us have paused to assess where this team appears to be exceeding expectation,s and where this team seems to be underperforming? If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we may be mildly surprised where this exercise takes us.

Let's start with our preseason expectations of this LA Rams defense. No, not just Ramblin Fan's projections. I'm talking about the general consensus of a defense that by all accounts was built around All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and a cast of 10 or more anonymous teammates who were expected to struggles this season.

In reality, the LA Rams defense ranks 14th in the NFL in terms of points allowed, and 13th overall in terms of yards allowed. Preseason projections believed that the Rams defense would struggle, and allow at lease an average of 27 points per game. So in that category, I would objectively state that the Rams are indeed beating expectations.

Where is the Rams offensive fire power?

The other half of the 2023 NFL season equation for the LA Rams was a matter of the offense, and quite literally how many points could this offense score? The Rams had all the makings of a solid offense, with a host of returning veterans plus the occasional introduction of a young player or two to patch the holes from 2022.

Nobody can argue that RB Kyren Williams, LG Steve Avila, or WR Puka Nacua has not blown everyone away with their early season positive impacts. And yet, the Rams offense is scoring among the bottom half of the NFL after seven games. While a 16th ranked scoring offense is not horrendous, it should give us all pause in how we perceive this team.

The Rams offense is scoring 22.1 points per game in 2023. That is better than the 18.1 points per game scored in 2022, yes. But it's a far cry short of the 27.1 points per game scored in 2021. It's even a bit behind the 2020 offense that scored 23.3 points per game. If you ranked the LA Rams offense, this is the second-to-last scoring offense in LA Rams HC Sean McVay's history with the team. So let's rank the Rams scoring offense over McVay's history:

Ranking the Rams offense under HC Sean McVay

Sometimes the forest gets lost for the trees. Here's what I mean:

1. 2018 - 32.9 points per game
2. 2017 - 29.9 points per game
3. 2021 - 27.1 points per game
4. 2019 - 24.6 points per game
5. 2020 - 23.3 points per game
6. 2023 - 22.1 points per game
7. 2022 - 18.1 points per game

I don't think that we can claim that the Rams have no offensive weapons. The Rams have WR Cooper Kupp and rookie WR Puka Nacua. Despite the upheaval and chaos in the running back room, the Rams rushing offense remains ranked 15-best in the NFL in yards gained, and is tied at 8th-best in rushing touchdowns.

The LA Rams' passing offense is ranked seventh best in yards gained, but plummets to 20th in scoring via an aerial assault. As fans, there are plenty of comments about the Rams in need of an elite pass rusher. Others have chimed in about the Rams' need for a franchise left tackle. Others believe that the Rams need to add one more big-name running back to the team to join the six runners currently on the Rams roster.

How can the LA Rams get more points on the scoreboard? You decide. But it's certainly not just a Rams offense problem for 2023, but a nagging problem for the past two NFL seasons. If the Rams have any plans of contending for a berth in the NFL Playoffs, that trend has to be corrected, and quickly.