LOS ANGELES RAMS
2021 Record - 12-5-0
Head Coach - Sean McVay
New Additions - Allen Robinson (WR), Bobby Wagner (LB), Troy Hill (DB)
Offensive Rank in 2021 - 9th (372 YPG); Scoring - 7th (27.1 PPG)
Defensive Rank in 2021 - 17th (345 YPG); Scoring - 16th (21.9 PPG)
Matthew Stafford returns at quarterback after a big year, passing for 4,886 yards with 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. In the backfield are Cam Akers (injured for most of 2021 season) and Darrell Hendrson, Jr., who rushed for 688 yards (4.6 YPC average) and scored five touchdowns while also hauling in three scoring passes on 29 receptions. All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught 145 passes last season for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Also in the mix are Van Jefferson (50, 802, six TD) and Allen Robinson, who had 38 receptions for 410 yards and one touchdown with Chicago last year. The tight end is Tyler Higbee (61, 560, five TD).
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald (12 1/2 QB sacks) leads the way on the defense while OLB Leonard Floyd ( 9 1/2 sacks) will team with (inside linebacker) Bobby Wagner (170 tackles and one interception with Seattle) and Ernest Jones. The secondary has Jalen Ramsey (four picks) and Troy Hill (free agent from Cleveland) at the corners and safeties Jordan Fuller (team high 113 tackles last year) and Taylor Rapp, who had 94 tackles and four interceptions.
Outlook for 2022 season - After winning the Super Bowl last year, what can the Rams do for an encore? A lot of that will depend on Stafford and the offense. Stafford, entering his 14th season in the NFL, finally won the big one and silenced many critics in the process. Head Coach Sean McVay knows full well his quarterback has what it takes and would like to see more of the same results as in the 2021 season.
With a healthy Cam Akers teaming with Darrell Henderson in the running game, the offense should be solid once again. After all, Cooper Kupp is returning after his big season, in which he captured the "triple crown" of receiving with most receptions, yardage and touchdowns. So look to Stafford to do his thing with Kupp and also be likely to spread the ball around with all the weapons on the team. Avoiding mistakes will be essential as the team did hit a lull at the midway point in 2021 before catching fire at the right time.
The defense is top flight with a strong pass rush (50 sacks) and a ball hawking secondary that picked off 19 passes last season. A bend but don't break approach worked for the Rams as they allowed yardage but held opponents to just under 22 points per game. Repeating is always tough, but if the Rams can avoid the injury bug and not get complacent, they have a shot at becoming the first repeat Super Bowl champion since the 2004 season.
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week One - vs. Buffalo
Week Two - vs. Atlanta
Week Three - at Arizona
Week Four - at San Francisco
Week Five - vs. Dallas
Week Six - vs. Carolina
Week Seven - BYE
Week Eight - vs. San Francisco
Week Nine - at Tampa Bay
Week Ten - vs. Arizona
Week Eleven - at New Orleans
Week Twelve - at Kansas City
Week Thirteen - vs. Seattle
Week Fourteen - vs. Las Vegas
Week Fifteen - at Green Bay
Week Sixteen - vs. Denver
Week Seventeen - at L.A. Chargers
Week Eighteen - at Seattle
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