What must LA Rams do to become a Top-5 NFL offense?

III: Limit Turnovers

The less obvious, but perhaps most vital thing that the LA Rams must do in 2023 is to limit the number of turnovers. To give some background information, the LA Rams finished the 2022 season with a net turnover stat of (-1). In 2021, the year that culminated in winning Super Bowl LVI, the LA Rams net turnover stat of (+2). The LA Rams, in the year that the team finished among the top NFL offenses, the Rams net turnover stat of (+11).

Limiting turnovers keeps the LA Rams offense on the field. And if the Rams defense can generate turnovers, that will subsequently get the Rams offense back onto the football field. If the opposite occurs, the Rams offense will be ushered off the field prematurely. In the end, the more opportunities the Rams offense has to score, the more the Rams score.

Run, play smart on offense

Turnovers are a tough thing to coach. After all, you want the offensive to be aggressive enough to make plays and get as many yards out of plays as possible. But in doing so, there is an invisible line that cannot be crossed, a line that distinguishes aggressive play from careless play.

In terms of how to coach an offense with the goal of fewer turnovers, the Rams must do a far better job of self-scouting. The offense must begin by doing a far better job of creating a safe pocket for quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw from. That means a better offensive balance of runs/passes to keep defenses off balance, and a far better job of pass blocking when it comes to pass plays.

On defense, the Rams can contribute by creating turnovers. That means playing close enough to the intended receiver to make a break on the football if the opportunity should arise. It also means creating and recovering fumbles as well.