State of the Rams: Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford should be eyeing Lombardi Trophy

State of the 2021 Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford should be eyeing Lombardi Trophy

Published: Jun 24, 2021 at 08:33 AM

Adam Rank
NFL.com Writer

Where does your franchise stand heading into 2021? Adam Rank sets the table by providing a State of the Franchise look at all 32 teams, zeroing in on the key figures to watch and setting the stakes for the season to come.

Members of the Rams organization, Rams fans around the world and those who feel the need to text me that "Let's Ram It" is the best football video of all time:

This really is an exciting time for the Los Angeles Rams. Even though they have been back in L.A. for a few years now, this is the first season where it will actually feel like the Rams are home where they belong, with fans poised to join the players in SoFi Stadium this fall. There is a real excitement in Southern California for this football team. And there should be. The Rams are going for it. Which actually isn't anything new in the Sean McVay era of this franchise. They trade first-round picks for superstars. They make bold trades when they need to. I mean, it would have been easy for the Rams to just sit back with the quarterback they had and been all, "Welp, he got us to a Super Bowl before. Let's hope he can do it again." Nope! They are going for it, bringing in a true upgrade at the game's most important position. Man, you have to love it when your team is willing to go all in.

How the Rams got here

Let's take a quick look back at the highs and lows of the 2020 season.

The highs:

Returning to the playoffs. After suffering a Super Bowl hangover in 2019 and missing the postseason, Los Angeles earned an NFC wild-card spot. And the Rams officially punched their ticket in Week 17 by beating the Cardinals, 18-7, simultaneously extinguishing Arizona's playoff hopes. NFC West rivalry juice! Oh, and did I mention the Rams prevailed with QB John Wolford making his first NFL start?

Knocking off the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Rams earned a 30-20 road win, with backup quarterback Jared Goff coming off the bench in relief of the injured Wolford. It was a weird few weeks at the position for L.A.
Cam Akers. I'll have more on him in a minute.

The lows:

Losing to the Jets in Week 15. Which was rather inexcusable. I mean, it's the Jets. But the funny thing is, you kept the Cardinals out of the playoffs and you kept Trevor Lawrence out of New York. This might have a significant impact -- one way or another -- in coming years.

Aaron Donald getting injured during the wild-card win over the Seahawks. He was clearly limited in the Divisional Round loss at Green Bay. Even showing his frustration by drawing a 15-yard personal foul that kept a Packers drive alive. Most (biased) Bears fans agree: The Rams win that game if Donald's healthy.

2021 VIPs

Head coach: Sean McVay. The energetic coach burst onto the scene in Los Angeles a few years ago, kind of like one of those child stars in Hollywood. And for the most part, McVay has been more Leo DiCaprio than Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He's made the playoffs in three of his first four seasons as Rams coach. His three playoff wins trail only John Robinson (four) for the most by a head coach in club history. Which seems pretty amazing to me, because the Los Angeles Rams have made the Super Bowl twice, though they've yet to win one. They did have some legendary teams in the 1970s. (And before anybody asks, the St. Louis years are not cannon to me. Kind of like the way the Star Wars Holiday Special isn't really part of the expanded universe. Most people in L.A. feel this way. Maybe not you, but most people.)

I will say that despite McVay consistently making the playoffs, the shine is off Sean's star just a bit. The Rams' offensive ranks last year were the worst in any season under the coach. Not that they were atrocious. The Rams averaged 23.3 points per game last year, ranking 22nd in the league. Not ghastly. But they did average 24.6 points per game (11th) in 2019, 32.9 (second) in 2018 and 29.9 (first) in 2017. So last year wasn't The Man in the Iron Mask bad. But it wasn't Catch Me If You Can, either.

Some of that could be on former quarterback Jared Goff. But he's gone now. And there is a new quarterback in town. One who will hopefully lead to an ending that you only see (wait for it) … Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Quarterback: Matthew Stafford. Nobody in the Rams organization is openly saying Jared Goff was the problem. But you don't send him, two first-round picks and a third-rounder without telling on yourself a bit. And McVay can barely contain his exuberance over Stafford, gushing about how he's in a better mood, saying he is a better coach with Matt. Like he's some teenager on Instagram flaunting his new relationship, hoping his ex sees it. We get it.

In fairness, Stafford is one of my favorite QBs, too. I've always been a huge fan of his, believing he's been one of the league's best quarterbacks over the past decade. He's tough as nails. And he has the most (or tied for most) quarterback wins (74), passing yards (45,019), passing TDs (282) and game-winning drives (38) of any active quarterback to have never played in a Super Bowl. And that's the rub. While the guy he is replacing led the Rams to the big game (though saying "led" seems very generous, like the 4-foot putt I gave myself the other day), Stafford has never played on the game's grandest stage. Hell, I don't even think he's won a playoff game. Wait, I just checked. He hasn't. 0 for 3. And with the Lions undergoing another regime change/rebuild, let's be honest: That wasn't going to change for him any time soon in Detroit.

So I'm happy for Stafford to finally have a legitimate chance at a playoff run. And for both McVay and Stafford, this is the opportunity they have been waiting for. The excuses are no longer valid. They need to win.

Projected 2021 MVP: Aaron Donald, defensive tackle. Donald just won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Again. Donald is one of four players in NFL history to win either DPOY or OPOY at least three times in a four-year span, joining J.J. Watt, Marshall Faulk and Earl Campbell. Donald has become to the DPOY what Bryan Cranston was to the Emmys while he was on Breaking Bad. Donald had 13.5 sacks in 2020 (tied for second in the NFL). He had his second career game with at least four sacks in Week 5 at Washington. Donald's 85.5 career sacks are the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2014.

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