The romantic story, distinguished characters, and majestic choreography are just three of many similarities between Hollywood's La La Land and the Los Angeles Rams' star-studded cast of offensive protagonists. While director Damien Chazelle missed out on the 'Best Picture' Oscar award, head coach Sean McVay is eyeing a different fate ahead of Super Bowl LVI, writes Andrew Gamble for our NFL newsletter End Zone .
City of stars,
Are you shining just for me?
City of stars,
There’s so much that I can’t see.
When Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone sang ‘City of Stars’ in the critically acclaimed La La Land, they were certainly not clamouring over the 2021 Los Angeles Rams offence. The parallels are easy to see, though.
Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey were all First Team All-Pro selections in 2021, while the trio were also named to the Pro Bowl along with kicker Matt Gay. Sprinkle in Matthew Stafford - who threw for 4,886 yards (third in the NFL) and 41 touchdowns (second) - and star receiver Odell Beckham Jr, and you have quite a formidable unit without even uttering burgeoning wideout Van Jefferson.
The Rams also have an effective running back tandem in Sony Michel and Cam Akers, who has spectacularly recovered from a torn Achilles injury sustained in July 2020. The duo are behind a formidable offensive line anchored by veteran Andrew Whitworth who, at 40 years of age, has absolutely no right playing such a physical position at a remarkably high level.
On Monday night, the city of stars came together perfectly as the Rams dominated their NFC West rivals the Arizona Cardinals to the tune of a 34-11 win. Stafford passed for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running in another score to orchestrate his first playoff win, but it was Beckham who stepped up with a number of sensational plays, including his nimble touchdown reception and sensational 40-yard pass to Akers.
Stafford was outstanding in his playoff debut with the Rams, completing 13 of his season-low 17 passes without an interception. He scored his first playoff rushing TD since 2012 on a sneak, and he expertly composed the Los Angeles offence to claim the first postseason win of his career after 12 years and three playoff defeats with the Detroit Lions.
Don’t be fooled by the box score: Beckham was excellent against the Cardinals. The 29-year-old hauled in four catches for 54 yards - including the first playoff touchdown catch of his career to open the scoring. It was a good thing Beckham performed as well as he did, as it was a quiet night for triple crown winner Kupp. The man who led the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdown receptions finished with five catches for 61 yards, failing to accumulate 90 yards for just the second time this season, although both occasions were against Arizona.
In the NFL playoffs, opposing teams often place an excessive amount of energy minimising opposition weapons like the Cardinals did with Kupp. Fortunately, Stafford and the Rams have a bevvy of offensive options to turn to, headlined by Beckham. Jefferson and tight end Tyler Higbee have impressed immensely in 2021, while the running game led by Michel and complemented by Akers’ outside threat is finding form.
The running game could be the secret weapon you didn’t know the Rams offence needed. Running the ball more frequently has taken more time off the game clock, allowing the team to win the time of possession battle in all but one of the past five matches. Keeping the offence on the field means keeping the star-studded defence off it, allowing Donald, Ramsey and co. to take to the turf refreshed.
While the Rams enjoyed their home playoff bow against Arizona, they hit the road this Sunday to face the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a spot in the NFC Championship Game on the line. The Rams know how to beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers after they topped them 34-24 on the west coast back in Week Three - but there was no Beckham or Von Miller that day. Perhaps Los Angeles have improved for their postseason run that they hope will finish as it started: with a win at SoFi Stadium.
For the Rams to move on to the conference championship and knock off Brady’s swashbuckling Bucs, they need to mirror the offensive gameplan from their Week Three triumph. In that game, Stafford played smart football. He mixed up a cocktail of short passes, screens, swings and curls to counter Tampa Bay’s blitzes that left Patrick Mahomes feeling particularly woozy after Super Bowl LV. Sure, the 33-year-old - who hails from Tampa - hit a trademark deep pass and underthrew two other attempts to hit the big shot, but Stafford worked underneath between the secondary to great effect. I expect more of the same this Sunday, particularly with Beckham on the field who can so excellently impact the game at any level when he is in this form.
If the Rams offensive line can hold off the Bucs’ deadly pass rush, Stafford can move the ball at will. Against both the pass and run, heralded Bucs defensive co-ordinator Todd Bowles prefers to utilise an aggressive front seven that dives deep into the playbook with stunts, stacked boxes, and blitzes from any and every angle. It’s high risk but high reward - perfect for the NFL playoffs.
The Rams offensive line will certainly have their work cut out for them. When facing the pass, the Buccaneers lead the NFC in blitzes with 313 - which accounts for a frankly ludicrous 40.8 per cent of defensive snaps. Thanks to a front seven including Shaq Barrett, Ndamukong Suh, and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Bucs led the NFL in quarterback hurries, knockdowns and total pressures.
However, Tampa Bay’s defence also gave up the most passing attempts and completions in the league for 4,062 yards against a slate of teams that include the bottom four passing offences in the NFC: the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. The Rams should not stray from the passing game, particularly with Vita Vea engulfing most gaps that running backs crave. The Bucs run defence is a top five unit across the league that gives up 92.5 yards per game on 22 carries, and 4.3 yards per carry.
Now, here’s the problem LA head coach and offensive guru Sean McVay is left to crack. The Rams should move away from the interior and attack the edges, utilising the run game - and Akers’ strengths - to spread the Tampa defensive line regardless of the results. A similar gameplan to Week Three would be a good place to start, although the addition of Beckham and Akers on offence could prove to be crucial.
Ultimately, how the Rams offensive line performs will likely decide the game - but a balanced offence will be tough to defeat, particularly in the postseason.
Who knows?
Is this the start of something wonderful and new?
Or one more dream that I cannot make true?
Should Stafford remain poised and McVay utilises but doesn’t rely on the run game, perhaps the constellation of stars will shine for Los Angeles once more.
If the Rams cannot stay the course, they will miss out on the prize they’re dreaming of - much like La La Land did so dramatically at the 89th Academy Awards.
