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By: Cameron DaSilva | June 28, 2019 10:29 am ET
It’s hard to complain about much from the Los Angeles Rams’ 2018 season. They won the NFC West, tied for the best record in football and made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
However, they weren’t perfect and there are always areas that need improvement. Here are four as the Rams head into the 2019 season.
Run defense
Put simply, the Rams’ run defense was bad last season. They ranked dead last in yards per carry allowed (5.1) and 23rd in yards against, showing just how easy it was for teams to run against the Rams. That wasn’t the case in the postseason, which gives reason for optimism heading into 2019.
Los Angeles did set out to improve that aspect of the defense this offseason, adding players such as Greg Gaines, Clay Matthews, Eric Weddle and replacing Mark Barron with Micah Kiser. If the run defense improves this season, it’ll help keep offenses behind the sticks and force tougher down-and-distance situations. Only good things can come from getting better in that department.
Red zone efficiency
It’s pretty amazing that the Rams ranked second in points scored last season despite finishing 19th in red zone touchdown percentage. For comparison, the Chiefs led the NFL in points and ranked second in red zone efficiency. Had the Rams been better inside the 20, they would have easily led the NFL in scoring.
With all the weapons they have and an elite back such as Todd Gurley, there’s no excuse for the Rams to rank in the bottom half of red zone efficiency. By improving in that area of the field, they’ll put more pressure on opposing offenses to score touchdowns instead of keeping it close with field goals. Scoring TDs 57 percent of the time in the red zone versus 73 percent (as the Chiefs did) is a huge difference.
Outside pass rush
You could argue that with Aaron Donald on the interior, the Rams don’t have a pressing need to be better at outside linebacker. After all, they led the NFL with the highest pressure rate last season (40.1 percent). Granted, a lot of that came from Donald, while very little pressure was generated outside.
Dante Fowler Jr., Samson Ebukam, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and the rest of the young outside linebackers are all relatively unproven as consistent pass rushers, so there’s reason for concern at that spot. Matthews is somewhat of a safety net, but the Rams would greatly benefit from improve edge rushers.
Having someone who can consistently pressure the quarterback off the edge and force him into the lap of Donald would be huge for Los Angeles. The hope is that Fowler can be that guy.
Fourth-down conversions
The Rams were excellent on third down last season, ranking fifth with a 45 percent conversion rate. Fourth down was a different story. The Rams went for it 15 times on fourth down, which ranked 20th in the NFL. However, their six successful conversions were 30th, as was their 40 success rate.
In 2017, the Rams weren’t much better, ranking 20th in the NFL by converting 41.7 percent of the time on fourth. The Cowboys, who were in the middle of the pack (16th overall), converted 57 percent of their fourth-down tries (12-for-21) in 2018.
Gaining the necessary yardage on fourth down isn’t a huge point of emphasis, especially considering how often the Rams attempt fake punts, but they have to be better in short-yardage situations on crucial downs. Staying on the field and converting fourth downs will help take the offense up another notch.
https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/28/nfl-rams-improvement-2019-defense/
