No team is perfect, and the Los Angeles Rams certainly an unstoppable force in the NFL this season.
However, the teams’ 8-2 record proves they’re a tough out no matter their opponent. Just look at how they fared against the Seattle Seahawks (a close win against an equally tough opponent) and the Philadelphia Eagles (a loss that the team led up to the final few minutes). Even the overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers was a back-and-forth battle that ended because of an errant fourth-down call by Sean McVay.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is a bit worried about one element of this Rams team, though: The special teams.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say this is the worst special teams unit in football,” Orlovsky said. “It’s hard to find a flaw in this football team. But, this is a very, very bad special teams unit in L.A.”
Orlovsky pointed to three important stats: The Rams have one of the worst field goal percentages in the league (66.7%), among the worst kick return yards in the league (punt and kickoffs) and don’t have a 25-yard kick return this year.
This isn’t as big a deal as, say, a turnover-prone quarterback or a leaky secondary. But special teams matter in the NFL. Field position can change the course of games (as we saw in Week 11 with Ethan Evans’ punt to the one-yard line) and field goals can turns wins into losses (Joshua Karty’s blocked field goal to beat the Eagles was blocked).
The Rams already are trying to correct this, too, after switching from Karty to Harrison Mevis at kicker and to Jake McQuaide at longsnapper. But if the Rams want to compete with the contenders, they’ll need more support from their special teams as the season goes on.