The Los Angeles Rams just stomped the Chargers 24-9, pushing their record to an even 4-4, and honestly, the biggest story might be what happened up front. Their offensive line absolutely mauled the Bolts, according to Pro Football Focus, and if this is a sign of things to come, the rest of the league is about to get a rude awakening. These guys are suddenly looking like a brick wall, and that changes *everything* for their season hopes.
O-Line Pancakes The Competition, Stafford Gets Comfort
The numbers from the Chargers game don’t lie. PFF counted just four pressures on Matthew Stafford across 26 dropbacks, and get this: only one of those was even credited to the offensive line. That tells you Stafford was holding the ball a bit, maybe inviting some pressure, but his guys were holding strong. Leading the charge? Left guard Steve Avila, who put up an insane 86.1 PFF grade. Not only did he allow ZERO pressures, but he was a beast in the run game too, with an 82.9 grade there. This guy was a force!
Right alongside him, Kevin Dotson, the right guard, had his best game of the season, clocking in at a 79.0 overall. He also didn’t give up a single pressure and had a strong 79.9 in the run game. Dotson’s been trending up, and these two performances together are a massive deal. Even center Coleman Shelton, despite a 57.5 pass protection grade, allowed no pressures and shined in the run game at 79.5. The only lineman to allow a pressure was right tackle Warren McClendon, but even he finished with a solid 70.8 pass protection grade. When your line is this locked in, it opens up the entire offense.
Nacua’s After-The-Catch Magic and Defensive Standouts
While the big fellas were doing work, Puka Nacua was out there just being Puka. He pulled in 11 of 12 targets for 80 yards and a score, with a ridiculous 65 of those yards coming *after the catch*. His average depth of target was a measly 1.5 yards, meaning he was doing all the hard work to turn short throws into huge gains. The offense had 110 yards after the catch overall, which makes sense when Stafford’s average depth of target was only 3.8 yards. It felt like a suffocated passing game at times, with only 30% of Stafford’s yards being “air yards,” but Nacua was the engine making those plays happen.
On the other side of the ball, the defense balled out too. Cornerback Trent McDuffie was a monster, intercepting Justin Herbert and nearly taking it to the house. He had five defensive run stops and nine total tackles, even though Herbert targeted him eight times. Middle linebacker Omar Speights put up an 85.6 overall grade, with an insane 91.5 in pass coverage, allowing just three catches for 14 yards on four targets. This guy is making a serious case for more snaps, especially with Nate Landman’s role seemingly diminishing. And let’s not forget defensive tackle Tyler Davis, who got an 83.3 grade. When the O-line is dominating and the defense is making plays, you’ve got a recipe for success.
The Rams are sitting at 4-4 now, with two very winnable games coming up against the Washington Commanders and the Arizona Cardinals. This is their chance to string together a four-game winning streak and jump to 6-4. If their offensive line keeps playing like this, and guys like Nacua and McDuffie keep making game-changing plays, this team could be looking at a very different season outlook real soon.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
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