Updated Jan. 29, 2026, 2:21 p.m. PT
The Los Angeles Rams are still picking up the pieces of their 2025 season. It ended with disappointment, as each season does for the 31 teams that don’t lift the Lombardi Trophy in February.
The Rams thought they had the makings of a Super Bowl-champion group. And they did. But some of their biggest weaknesses reared their ugly heads in the biggest moments against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship.
As bitter an ending as it was, there’s reason for optimism in L.A. The outlook is good, knowing Sean McVay, Les Snead and, most likely, Matthew Stafford will be around again in 2026. But in reflecting on the season, here’s what we learned about the Rams in 2025.
No signs of decline from Matthew Stafford
Remember when Stafford spent training camp in that bizarre healing chamber at the Rams’ facility? And remember when no one knew whether he’d be ready for the start of the regular season due to a back injury?
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Yeah, us either.
That feels like ages ago and raised some serious concerns about this Rams team in 2025. Stafford’s back continued to get better, though, and never showed the slightest indication of it bothering him a single time all year.
Despite missing all of training camp, Stafford still put together the best season of his life, winning PFWA MVP honors and being named a first-team All-Pro. At the age of 37 in his 17th NFL season, Stafford looked better than ever. There’s no sign of a decline like we see with most aging quarterbacks, displaying the same velocity and accuracy that he had when he was 30.
With the Rams still committed to Stafford in 2026, they have to be thrilled by the way he looked this past season.
Sean McVay was really (really) confident in this team
McVay was emotional after the Rams’ loss to Seattle. He was gutted for his team, repeatedly saying how special the group was and that he through they were going to win it all this season.
He seemed as confident in this group as he’s ever been in a team he’s coached, and understandably so. They had the MVP at quarterback, an Offensive Player of the Year candidate at wide receiver, the league’s leader in touchdown receptions and a young defense that at its best was shutting teams down.
The Rams had their shortcomings but there were multiple times this season that they looked like the best team in football. McVay believed that, too. Here’s part of what he said after their loss to Seattle.
“I’ll be honest, I love this team and I wasn’t ready to stop working with them,” he said. “I thought we had two more weeks together. I’m really grateful for each of those individuals, and the collective. It’s as special of a group as I’ve ever been around, coaches and players included. Sports, it represents a lot of different things. It’s a beautiful thing, though. This game has brought me some of the most special relationships that I’ll cherish. That’s what this team has done and this was a special year and it’s hard to fathom that it’s over. It’ll take some time, but nothing but gratitude.”
Special teams cost them one too many times
First there were the blocked field goals against the Eagles. Then the blocked PAT against the 49ers. Then the punt return touchdown against the Seahawks in Week 16. And the blocked punt in the playoff win over Carolina. And finally, the straw that broke the camel’s Rams’ back, the muffed punt in the NFC title game.
You could argue the Rams waited too long to change kickers. You could say the same thing about firing Chase Blackburn. Or about keeping Xavier Smith as the punt returner after he muffed one punt earlier in the game against Seattle.
No matter how you cut it, special teams doomed the Rams. It was only a matter of time before it came back to bite them. They almost lost because of a blocked punt against Carolina. Against the Bears, Ethan Evans’ 33-yard punt in the fourth quarter gave Chicago good field position before its game-tying touchdown.
The Rams tempted fate one too many times on special teams and eventually, it cost them.
Ignoring the CB group came back to bite them
Struggling on special teams is one thing. Actively ignoring one of the most important positions on the roster, cornerback, all offseason is another. The Rams had chances to sign a starting cornerback in free agency. They elected not to. They could’ve selected a corner with one of their many picks in the draft. They chose not to. Even before the trade deadline, they could’ve made a bold move for cornerback help. Instead, they acquired Roger McCreary, who had a minimal impact.
Emmanuel Forbes Jr. regressed late in the year and lost his starting job. Cobie Durant was a boom-or-bust player. Ahkello Witherspoon missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. And Darious Williams was a healthy scratch multiple times.
Drafting a cornerback or signing one in free agency may not have saved the Rams’ season. However, it might’ve been the difference in beating the Seahawks. Twice. Some positions, you can get by with lesser talent. But in a passing league, you need playmakers at cornerback, and the Rams didn’t have enough of them.
Tutu Atwell’s contract aged even worse than anticipated
Atwell’s $10 million guaranteed contract was an eye-opener when it was announced last March. He was barely used during his first four years, yet the Rams doubled down by giving him a shockingly rich contract.
Somehow, it worked out even worse than expected. Atwell caught six passes for 192 yards and one touchdown. Twelve other players on the team had more receptions than him. His game-winning touchdown against the Colts was great, but nothing justified his $10 million deal.
He’s not fully to blame, either. Sean McVay never got him involved after promising to do so several times last year, the year prior, the year before that, and so on. A shift to 13 personnel and a stint on IR didn’t help, but altogether, it was a gigantic whiff by the front office and coaching staff.
Rookie class had minimal impact
No team got more out of their rookie classes in 2023 and 2024 than the Rams. Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Steve Avila, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kamren Kinchens. They all came from those two draft classes and have become impactful starters.
This past year, the Rams got almost nothing out of their rookies. Terrance Ferguson made a few good plays but still finished with just 11 catches for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Josaiah Stewart was their top rookie with three sacks and 22 total tackles, but he was merely a role player. Jarquez Hunter was inactive most of the year, Ty Hamilton did very little, Chris Paul Jr. was cut before the season and Konata Mumpfield only caught 10 passes for 92 yards.
No one is counting out this draft class just yet, but after seeing how great their previous two groups were, it was tough to see the Rams’ rookies struggle to have much of an impact this year. There’s no clear path to playing time for any of them in 2026, either. We have to wait until 2027 or 2028 to feel the real impact of the Rams’ 2025 class.
Puka Nacua deserves every penny he’s about to get
Nacua is bound to get an extension this offseason before entering the final year of his rookie deal. Even with his salary jumping to $5.7 million in 2026 thanks to performance-based bonuses, he’s seriously underpaid. Like, the biggest bargain in sports right now.
He’s going to skyrocket toward the top of the list of the highest-paid receivers in football, and no one should bat an eye. Similar to Cooper Kupp in 2021, the Rams would not be the same team without Nacua. He’s the second-most valuable player on the team and proved this season that he’s one of the three best receivers in football.
Whether it’s his strong hands, physicality as a blocker, smooth route running or determination to come down with contested catches, Nacua is the complete package. He deserves to be a top-paid wideout in the NFL, which will put a dent in the Rams’ salary cap but is 100% necessary.
Two-headed RB monster finally came to fruition
Blake Corum barely played as a rookie in 2024, carrying it just 58 times for 207 yards. In Year 2, he was much more heavily involved as the Rams committed to keeping Kyren Williams fresh, limiting his snaps, even after giving him a lucrative extension.
Finally, the Rams figured out a good balance between their two running backs, giving Williams about 70% of the snaps and Corum 30%. The Rams finished with the seventh-most rushing yards in the NFL – and really, the most of any team without a mobile quarterback. Their 4.6 yards per carry as a team also ranked sixth, showing just how efficient their ground game was.
Williams and Corum will both be back in 2026, and Hunter is still on the roster after essentially redshirting this season, so the Rams are loaded at running back.
Offensive line is set for years to come
Every starting offensive lineman from the end of the season is under contract in 2026. Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson and Warren McClendon Jr. All signed through at least 2026, some even longer.
The Rams couldn’t ask for a much better situation up front than the one they’ve got heading into next year, mixing both youth and experience on the O-line. And considering the Rams allowed a league-low 23 sacks all year, the future is incredibly bright in the trenches.
Signing McClendon to an extension has to be a consideration, the same going for Avila. But even in its current state with no additional contracts being doled out, the Rams could have one of the better offensive lines in football next season.
Super Bowl window is still wide open
It’s going to take a while for players, coaches and even fans to get over the disappointment of Los Angeles’ NFC title game loss. It was a heartbreaker, more so than last year’s loss to the Eagles.
But there is some good news: The Rams are in position to contend again in 2026. As long as Stafford returns, Los Angeles should be one of the five best teams in football next year. They’ll have the (likely) reigning MVP at quarterback, Nacua and (probably) Davante Adams at receiver, a great offensive line, two first-round picks and an estimated $34 million in cap space before making any cuts.
They have the ammo to reload and improve in the offseason. It’s hard to expect Stafford to play at an MVP level again, but even a Pro Bowl-type season will be enough to get the Rams where they want to go – so long as they make the right moves in free agency and the draft.
