Unlike aged fine wines, 49ers age could give Rams decided edge in 2024

NFC West Division is becoming a young man's game

Thanks to the records kept by Spotrac.com, we have the average age of NFL team rosters already calculated by their analysts. And where teams come in does say a great deal about the team itself, and how well it may hold up to the difficult 17-game schedule in 2024.

Examine the data table below, and you will see that the age of an NFL team's roster no longer has the same impact on the record of that team as it had in the past. In regards to the Rams roster, they were quite young and yet still finished with an impressive 10-7 record.

But like many stories, there is more to this one than meets the eye.

Aaron Schatz, the creator of DVOA. ESPN+ NFL analyst, routinely publishes an annual report that quantifies how injuries impact NFL teams with a metric he calls Adjusted Games Lost (AGL). In 2022, the Rams roster was devastated by injuries with 146.6 Adjusted Games Lost, which proved to be a huge contributing factor to the team's 5-12 disappointing record.

But in 2023, the Rams purged the roster, slashing payroll costs, and managed to find a nice blend of inexpensive veterans and hungry rookies. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the team shattered their injury-prone trend from 2022 to end the 2023 NFL season with the least number of Adjusted Games Lost with 26.4.

But the San Francisco 49ers ended the 2023 NFL season quite healthy as well, witn an AGL of just 34.5. Now, the question is, can they repeat such a healthy roster two consecutive seasons?

The LA Rams played their last NFL game on January 14, 2024. The San Francisco 49ers played their last NFL game on February 11, 2024, nearly one month after the Rams season had ended. That means four less weeks to recover from all of the bumps and bruises incurred as a result of competing in the 2023 NFL season. And as we have also shown above, this 49ers team has twice as many players who are 30+ years of age as the Seattle Seahawks, and more than three times as many 30+ aged players as the Rams roster.

Older players heal more slowly.

Age is just one component that impacts a team's chances of success. And the San Francisco 49ers have played rather well in recent years, despite fielding one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. But at some point, that willingness to embrace older veterans will be less of an asset and more of a liability. Imagine how injuries to team leaders like LT Trent Williams or RB Christian McCaffrey might derail their season if the timing is bad.

I'm not cheering for any injuries. But this is a violent contact sport in which injuries are part of the game. The Rams have proven that they can win with younger players. I'm not convinced that the 49ers have proven that they can stay healthy with older players.

As always, thank you for reading.