Perhaps, there is immediate hope for the Los Angeles Rams, after all.
The Rams ranked as the top NFL team at two positions in an ESPN.com analysis.
Los Angeles sat atop the list at both the front seven against the pass and in special teams. The front seven also ranked second in the league to the New York Jets in defending the run.
“A (Wade) Phillips defense with Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers and now Connor Barwin will be an absolute nightmare, especially for poor Jared Goff when he has to face them in training camp practices, ESPN.com said of the Rams’ front seven against the pass.” And “the Rams had a run defense powered entirely by the front. They led the NFL in adjusted line yards last season and stuffed opposing runners for a loss or no gain on a league-leading 29 percent of carries.”
Not bad praise for a team that came in at No. 28 in CBSSports.com‘s post-free agency power rankings.
Fueled by punter Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles also ranked atop the special teams division, ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Rams also grabbed the No. 10 spot at the running backs position, thanks to Todd Gurley.
“Choosing the 10th spot was difficult, but most NFL general managers would trust Todd Gurley to overcome the offensive line implosion that was responsible for his stats cratering in 2016,” ESPN.com reported. “He still managed to finish seventh in the NFL in broken tackles. We also considered the Bears, Dolphins, Bengals and Eagles for that spot.”
If the rankings hold true in 2017 and the Rams can find some improvement on the offensive line, at quarterback and wide receiver, they could be the surprise team of the league.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
