Can Matthew Stafford ignite Rams? Will Seahawks keep Russell Wilson happy?The major questions that will define the NFC West in 2021
By Jeff Kerr
The NFC West can state its case as football's toughest division, as all four teams have a golden opportunity to reach the postseason. While no NFC West team advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs in 2020, the division beat up each other through a grueling regular season -- and housed two of the last three Super Bowl representatives in the NFC.
Leave it to the NFC West to get even better into 2021. The Los Angeles Rams acquired Matthew Stafford in the offseason, catapulting them to Super Bowl contenders in the conference, while the Seattle Seahawks were able to keep Russell Wilson on the roster. The San Francisco 49ers have a talented roster back after injuries derailed their chances to repeat as NFC champions and the Arizona Cardinals loaded up in free agency to take the next step from a .500 team to a playoff regular.
Whatever team wins the NFC West is anyone's guess, which makes the division race all the more intriguing in this 17-game season. There are plenty of questions that need to be solved in the NFC West, and we'll do our best to answer them.
Los Angeles Rams: Can Matthew Stafford make this an elite offense again?Since Sean McVay took over as the Rams' head coach, the Rams are ranked fourth in the league in points scored and fifth in the league in point differential. Los Angeles was also third in the league in total yards during that stretch. In McVay's first two years, the Rams scored the most points in the league and had the third-most yards.
Over the last two years, the Rams have been slightly above average offensively (depending on the category). The Rams are just 15th in scoring and sixth in total yards, but they are sixth in passing yards and 18th in rushing yards. That's not the innovative offense McVay is known for or why he's known as an offensive guru around the league.
McVay believed the problem lied within Jared Goff, who the Rams traded to the Lions -- along with two first-round picks -- in order to acquire Matthew Stafford. The Rams have the quarterback with the most passing yards through a player's first 165 games (45,109) in NFL history and tied for the seventh-most touchdowns (282) in that stretch. Stafford is a significant upgrade over Goff and the Rams are pairing him with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, DeSean Jackson, and Van Jefferson at wide receiver -- along with Tyler Higbee at tight end. The Rams also saw the emergence of Cam Akers at running back last season, forming a 1-2 punch at running back with Darrell Henderson.
It's no secret the Rams are all-in on making the Super Bowl, but their offense needs to be close to the level of their defense for that to happen. Los Angeles is banking on Stafford (and the offensive line to remain healthy) in order to take them over the top.
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