A season to forget – Reviewing the 2022 season for the LA Rams

After Sunday’s 19-16 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium, the Rams could be seen deflated along with their fans after a tough and rough season at defending their Super Bowl crown.

In a season that had so much promise with a talented roster, but has now ended with so many questions about the team. How did they get here and what does the offseason potentially look like for them? Here are some takeaways from the Rams’ season.

Replacing Andrew Whitworth has been no easy task

The key piece to the Super Bowl winning team was their left tackle occupied by now-retired Andrew Whitworth. Despite being 40 years old at the time, he was the best left tackle in the league by a mile and ultimately decided to walk away after the Super Bowl. This past offseason was crucial in attempting to find a replacement, the front office believed in Joe Noteboom so much that they re-signed him to a three-year deal worth $47.5 million. Considering the Rams have a massive payroll already to many it seems surprising to pay an unproven young talent so much. 

The 2018 third-round pick would have massive shoes to fill… it seemed that it was too much for him. Noteboom couldn’t recapture the productivity that the Rams needed and whilst injuries stopped him (we will get onto the Ram’s injuries shortly) from being a regular. The left tackle depth was simply not good enough as well. The offensive line as a result suffered, they could not create the same openings for Matthew Stafford and co to exploit as Stafford was pressured more than last season and as a result his attempts, completion and QB rating dramatically suffered. 

For the Rams, they still believe in the 27-years old Noteboom potential to be a long-term replacement at left tackle. But the Rams success has always relied on veteran talent like Whitworth, so it will not hurt to see what the free agency for left tackles are.

Injuries, the tale of the season

As mentioned earlier I would talk about the injuries. Where to begin? The offseason saw Stafford hurt his throwing shoulder during training camp and that clearly impacted him during the season. He threw for 6.8 yards per play in comparison to 8.1 according to NFL Stats.

Given he only played nine games during the season, this injury was a massive contribution to why he had a down year and the reason that Baker Mayfield was picked up from waivers after his release from the Carolina Panthers.

Injuries hampered the team across the board. Cooper Kupp went to IR after suffering a high-sprain ankle injury during mid-November. His production was sorely lost as the performances from Allen Robinson III, Cam Akers and Van Jefferson during the season were poor. They could not create opportunities for themselves and they did not play up to their standards. In defence as well, star defensive tackle Aaron Donlad had his ankle injured as well and not just him, also Jalen Ramsay.

I could go through a lot more players that have been injured… but the point is that injuries had derailed their season to the point where it put them out of playoff contention and their depth was not good enough to maintain a good offence and defence. 

McVay thinking about his future… again?

We heard after the Super Bowl victory that McVay would consider leaving coaching and go to broadcasting or to retirement.

That obviously did not happen as McVay opted to stay. But now these rumours are back now as the 36-year-old said postgame that he would take ‘appropriate time’ to evaluate his future. Hinting at early retirement probably is not what Rams ownership would want to hear after a terrible season. Whilst McVay will take time to think about his coaching career, reports have come that he has allowed for his coaching staff to look for other jobs. 

Shortly after that report from ESPN, Kentucky announced that offensive coordinator Liam Coen would return. Losing another OC is not something that the Rams would want, but losing McVay would cause even more issues. Clearly Kevin O’Connell leaving for the Minnesota Vikings changed the offence as Liam Coen could not get the same type of consistent form from offence. The Rams had too many up and downs in scoring.

If McVay was to retire, the head coaching job at the Rams would be the most sought after role after the Arizona Cardinals sacked head coach Kilff Kingsbury. It would be intriguing to see who the Rams would be interested in appointing as there are many good coaches like Sean Payton being approached by the Denver Broncos and several OC, DC and assistant should be heavily considered as possible hires.

It was not only McVay who considered retirement, Aaron Donald was more serious in his thought process and there were many in the media who genuinely thought that he was done. Like McVay, he came back, but with the failure to defend the Super Bowl… it would be something to keep an eye on if Donald considers retirement again.