2022 Los Angeles Rams Season Preview

Los Angeles Rams 2022 Season Preview

2021 Record: 12-5 (Super Bowl Champs)

Major Additions: LB Bobby Wagner, WR Allen Robinson 

Key Losses: LB Von Miller, CB Darious Williams, G Austin Corbett, DT Sebastian Joseph

Top Draft Picks: RG Logan Bruss (3), CB Decobie Durant (4), RB Kyren Williams (5)

Big Picture 

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. The team went all out last season, signing and trading for star after star. They will be coming into the 2022 season with a fair amount of expectations…Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who finally got over the postseason hump last year, has all of a sudden become an elite quarterback. He will continue to throw to his star wideout Cooper Kupp, who has solidified himself as a superstar. Last year, the Rams proved that you can buy a Super Bowl…Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who tore his ACL in the Super Bowl, isn’t supposed to be healthy until October…As explosive as this team is, it’s also getting old. Their defensive anchor, Aaron Donald, turned 31 over the off-season, and reportedly considered retirement before deciding to return. Matthew Stafford turned 34 just before the Super Bowl. To attain all these stars the team has had to trade a lot of draft picks. The Rams didn’t have a first round pick this year, and won’t have one until 2024.

Sean McVay, 36, became the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl this past season. Despite his age, Mcvay already has plenty of coaching experience. McVay was the offensive coordinator in Washington for three years, before becoming the head coach of the Rams for the past five years. McVay has already taken his team to two Super Bowls, and is widely regarded as one of the few masterminds of the game…With the aging roster and lack of draft picks, the Rams are trying to win now. The team is set to be extremely talented, and are expected to make another run at a Super Bowl.    

Rams Offense

Projected Starters:

QB: Matthew Stafford

RB: Cam Akers

WR: Cooper Kupp

WR: Allen Robinson II

WR: Van Jefferson

TE: Tyler Higbee

LT: Joe Noteboom

LG: David Edwards

C: Brian Allen

RG: Logan Bruss

RT: Rob Havenstein

In Matthew Stafford’s first season in Los Angeles, the quarterback threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. He then threw for 1,188 in four postseason games, which put him second all time for a single postseason. The quarterback will come into the 2022 season five yards short of 50,000 passing yards for his career. Wide receiver Allen Robinson was the biggest addition to this Rams offense over the off-season. Robinson has been stuck on a lackluster Chicago Bears offense the past few years, but has still managed to put up numbers. In 2020 Robinson had 102 receptions for 1,250 yards… Van Jefferson is now in his third year in the league. Last year Jefferson started in every game for the Rams, and finished with 50 receptions for 802 yards. Robinson and Jefferson are set to be key pieces of this Rams offense, but each of them are going to be taking a back seat to Cooper Kupp. Last year Kupp finished eighteen yards and five receptions short of the single season NFL record for each of those categories. Kupp also finished last season with 16 TDs and won the offensive player of the year award. 

Rams Defense

 

Projected Starters:

DE: A’Shawn Robinson
DT: Aaron Donald

NT: Greg Gaines

ILB: Bobby Wagner

OLB: Leonard Floyd

OLB: Justin Hollins

FS: Taylor Rapp
SS: Jordan Fuller
CB: David Long Jr.

CB: Jalen Ramsey

NB: Troy Hill

Aaron Donald, who is approaching 100 career sacks, has won the defensive player of the year award three times. Last year Donald finished with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. His nineteen tackles for a loss put him in a tie for fourth in the league in that category… Jalen Ramsey will be a key piece of this Rams secondary. Last year Ramsey had four interceptions and made his sixth straight Pro Bowl… Bobby Wagner is the biggest addition to this Rams defense. Wagner has spent his entire ten year career in Seattle. Wagner has been a tackling machine in his career, leading the league in that category twice. Despite him not leading the league last year, Wagner had a career high in tackles, with 170. He was third in the league in this category. Safety Taylor Rapp will be hoping to replicate what he was doing from last season. Rapp started all seventeen games and finished with four interceptions. Rapp was also second on the team with 94 combined tackles.

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Sean McVay (add record)

OC: Liam Coen

DC: Raheem Morris

Rams Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Schedule Strength: The Rams will have the hardest schedule in the league.

Schedule Highlights: The Rams schedule will be no easy task this season. The team is set to kick off the NFL season against a high powered Buffalo Bills team. The Rams are set to face every AFC West team this year, a division widely regarded as the best in the league. The team will also have showdowns with the Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Packers this year.

Week 1: 9/8 vs. Bills (Thursday), 8:20 PM

Week 2: 9/18 vs. Falcons, 4:05 PM

Week 3: 9/25 at Cardinals, 4:25 PM

Week 4: 10/3 at 49ers (Monday), 8:15 PM

Week 5: 10/9 vs. Cowboys, 4:25 PM

Week 6: 10/16 at Panthers, 4:05 PM

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: 10/30 vs. 49ers, 4:25 PM

Week 9: 11/6 at Buccaneers, 4:25 PM

Week 10: 11/13 vs. Cardinals, 4:25 PM

Week 11: 11/20 at Saints, 1 PM

Week 12: 11/27 at Chiefs, 4:25 PM

Week 13: 12/4 vs. Seahawks, 4:05 PM

Week 14: 12/8 vs. Raiders (Thursday), 8:15 PM

Week 15: 12/19 at Packers (Monday), 8:15 PM

Week 16: 12/25 vs. Broncos, 4:30 PM

Week 17: 1/1 at Chargers, 8:20 PM

Week 18: 1/7 or 1/8 at Seahawks, TBD

Odds and Predictions:

Super Bowl Odds: +1100 (DraftKings)

Win Projection: The Rams projected win total is 10.5

Hot Take: Jalen Ramsey will have 5+ interceptions this season

Prediction: The Rams finish at 11-6, and get the three seed in the NFC.