The Los Angeles Rams rarely run into adverse situations on offense, and a new chart from Pro Football Focus shows how sensational Sean McVay’s squad has been on avoiding third-down situations.
The Rams lead the NFL in the rate of moving the sticks before third down, as well as in the shortest distance to move the sticks on third down. The result: L.A. is far ahead of every NFL team in early down success.
This all makes sense because of the conflicting metrics around the Rams’ offense.
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While L.A. ranks 22nd in third-down conversion rate at 38.0%, the team ranks last in third-down attempts with 163 but first in first downs with 355. The Rams are also second in yards per drive with 37 and points per drive with 2.83.
So even though the Rams don’t have the best third-down conversion rate, they’re rarely in positions where they even need to attempt a third-down play. Instead, they convert on on first or second down — or score.
It’s a testament to McVay’s creativity as well as Matthew Stafford’s acumen under center. And it’s a big reason why the Rams are 11-4 and fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC still.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: This chart shows how dominant the Rams are on early downs