The LA Rams get the goat back for Week 5, but how will offense use him?

The LA Rams have exceeded expectations already, jumping out to a 2-2 record that arguably might have been 4-0 with more objective officiating, better bounces of the football, and some players making the key plays that this team knows that they are capable of.

The Rams are better than their 2-2 record. But even that will soon change. After all the LA Rams offense, which is already among the NFL's Top-10 after four weeks of competition, just got great news in the fact that the team will be welcoming back All-Pro veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Better still, he returns to face a below-average Eagles secondary.

Additionally, it appears that rookie outside linebacker Ochaun Mathis will return to the LA Rams active roster in time for Week 5 as well.

Now the question becomes, with just one football, how will the Rams offense distribute the football to keep everyone actively involved?

Less means more

In the LA Rams two victories so far, the offense had averaged 38 running plays and 39 passing plays. In the Rams two defeats this season, the offense had averaged 17.5 running plays and 44 passing plays. The number of offensive plays when the Rams go with a balanced offensive assault in 77 offensive plays. When the Rams abandon the run and skew their offensive assault to the passing game, this offense averages just under 62 offensive plays.

And no, it does not mean that the Rams are necessarily effectively running the football. The Rams gained 92 yards in Week 1 on 40 running plays. So it makes sense that in spite of the fact that the Rams Week 5 opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, have a strong run defense, the Rams should not relinquish keeping their pass rush honest by sticking with the run throughout this one.

But with one football, even running won't allow this Rams offense to involve all offensive weapons. So how do we see the Rams spreading the football around? If the Rams run the football 25 times, that should balance out to 15 runs by RB Kyren Williams, six runs by RB Ronnie Rivers, and four runs by other Rams players.

Rams have an advantage in Week 5

That should put the Rams passing into the 35-40 forward pass range for this one. Let's go with 10 targets for both WR Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. That should mean seven targets for TE Tyler Higbee, five targets for WR Tutu Atwell, four targets for RB Kyren Williams, three targets for WR Van Jefferson, and one target for WR Ben Skowronek.

Of course, there is no science or mathematical formula that accurately projects future usage of players, so this is all subjective assessment based upon the LA Rams offensive trends so far in 2023, plus the track record of LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay. While the Rams will reluctantly divert passes away from rookie sensation Puka Nacua, the team has a unique opportunity to leverage against a very talented and daunting Eagles defense.

Without any video footage, the Eagles secondary is basically about to embark on a blind date against Rams WR Cooper Kupp in Week 5. They can only guess and speculate who he will replace, how the Rams will deploy him, and how effectively he can play in his first live NFL action of the 2023 NFL season.

As long as the Rams can open the occasional running lanes, and protect veteran QB Matthew Stafford in Week 5, this Rams team could pull off an upset victory.