Quarterback Matthew Stafford was a rock for the Los Angeles Rams last season, but has taken a bit of a step back in 2022. To be clear, he is the least of the team’s concerns on offense, but statistically, his numbers have taken a huge hit so far this season, especially as they relate to ball security and efficiency.
He has been working with a patchwork offensive line in recent weeks, and the disastrous results of their play have been a key aspect of the offense’s dysfunction as a whole. Though Stafford wouldn’t go so far as to say that his linemen were at the crux of his issues in driving the Rams downfield for touchdowns, he told the media after Sunday’s loss that the problems that the team has encountered this year will take some time to fix.
“It’s not just… you don’t snap your fingers and fix something, you [have] got to continue to work,” Stafford explained. “That’s the only thing you can do to try and get better is to continue to work at a high rate. I know all the guys in this locker room will do that. I know our head coach is going to do that, and all the coaches on the coaching staff. It’s disappointing to lose football games, there’s no question. Not play as well as you possibly can and all those things. But, I do have a lot of trust and confidence in the guys in our locker room to do everything within their power to get this thing turned around.”
After hitting the dirt five times against the Dallas Cowboys on sacks, the fate of the quarterback’s season may well rest on his offensive line’s ability to provide him adequate protection consistently. Between coaches, individual players, and the team’s front office, Los Angeles will need to find quick fixes to their weekly strategies to get their season back on track before it is too late to salvage what remains of their schedule.
Stafford is sure to be at the heart of the Rams’ effort to improve in the coming weeks, and his veteran leadership should help steady the team. If he can get them back on a similar trajectory to last season in the face of the adversity they’re currently up against, Los Angeles could still have a shot at making something happen in January’s playoffs.
