LOS ANGELES RAMS 2021 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

No team had a more transformative offseason than the Los Angeles Rams. They had their front office and coaching staff raided by other franchises and made the biggest blockbuster trade of 2021 (so far) when they shipped former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, two first rounders and a third to the Detroit Lions in exchange for former No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford.

Two years removed from an embarrassing Super Bowl loss, the Rams and head coach Sean McVay felt they’d topped out with what Goff could do in the offense. Some absolutely humiliating offensive performances last season from their quarterback all but sealed his fate once Stafford came available.

But Stafford comes with his own question marks. His physical gifts are not questioned, but was his lack of success due to horrid coaching and team mismanagement in Detroit, or is he lacking something? That question will likely be answered definitively this season.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Last season: 10-6, 2^nd place NFC West, NFC Wild Card

2021 odds: over 10 wins -130, under 10 wins +100

2021 NFL Draft: Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville – Round 2, Ernest Jones, LB, South Carolina – Round 3, Bobby Brown III, DT, Texas A&M, Robert Rochell, CB, Central Arkansas – Round 4, Jacob Harris, TE, UCF – Round 4, Earnest Brown, DE, Northwestern – Round 5, Jake Funk, RB, Maryland – Round 7, Ben Skowronek, WR, Notre Dame – Round 7, Chris Garrett, LB, Concordia University St. Paul – Round 7

UDFAs: Landen Akers, WR – Iowa State, Paris Ford, Safety – Pittsburgh, Jovan Grant, Safety – Merrimack College, Brontae Harrism DB – UAB, Jeremiah Haydel, WR – Texas State, Alaric Jackson, OT – Iowa, Jordan Meredith, OL – Western Kentucky, Max Roberts, OLB – Boston College, George Silvanic, DT – Air Force, Troy Warner, Safety – BYU, Otis Anderson Jr., RB – UCF

Acquisitions: Matthew Stafford, QB – Trade, DeSean Jackson, WR – Free Agent, Kareem Orr, CB – Free Agent, Corey Bokorquez, P – Free Agent

Key Losses: Jared Goff – QB, Michael Brockers – DL, Austin Blythe – C, Troy Hill – CB, Malcolm Brown – RB, Gerald Everett – TE, Jake McQuaide – LS, Blake Bortles – QB, Derek Rivers – Edge, Morgan Fox – DL, John Johnson III – Safety, Josh Reynolds – WR, Samson Ebukam – Edge

PRESUMED STARTERS

QB: Matthew Stafford

RB: Cam Akers

WR: Robert Woods

WR: Cooper Kupp

WR: DeSean Jackson

TE: Tyler Higbee

LT: Andrew Whitworth

LG: David Edwards

C: Brian Allen

RG: Austin Corbett

RT: Rob Havenstein

LDE: Sebastian Joseph-Day

NT: A’Shawn Robinson

RDE: Aaron Donald

OLB: Justin Holmes

LILB: Ernest Jones

RILB: Micah Kiser

OLB: Leonard Floyd

CB: Jalen Ramsey

CB: Darious Williams

SS: Taylor Rapp

FS: Jordan Fuller

K: Matt Gay

P: Johnny Hekker

FORECAST

LA’s 10-6 record last season was an aberration. That was a 13-3 team that dropped shockingly shameful games to the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and were swept by the San Francisco 49ers fielding a team full of ex Fudrucker’s Grillmasters. The finger was rightly pointed at Goff as it should have been.

Stafford is, without question, an upgrade over Goff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this team will automatically go to the Super Bowl. They have a new defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, replacing wunderkind Brandon Staley who took over as head coach of the other team in LA. They also lost their No. 3 corner in Troy Hill, a starting defensive lineman and former first round pick Michael Brockers and one of the bets safeties in the league, John Johnson III.

As an NFC West team, there’s no chance of an easy schedule, but the Rams should know what they have in Morris and Stafford early with their four of their first five games coming against playoff teams (including the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Still, I think this is, at worst, the fourth best team in the league and second best in the NFC.

Final Record Prediction: 13-4, NFC West Champion

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