No one can be sure what to make of the Los Angeles Rams heading into the 2025 NFL season. They were a playoff team that probably didn't deserve to be in the postseason last year, sneaking in with a negative point differential due to a rare "strength of victory" tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks.
However, they arguably gave the Philadelphia Eagles their toughest test en route to a Super Bowl LIX victory.
In 2025, they have a ton of promising talent. They added wide receiver Davante Adams to an offensive core featuring quarterback Matthew Stafford, young star wideout Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams.
Their defense proved to be a stout unit down the stretch last year and should only be better between the additions they've made and the internal growth of prospects like Jared Verse, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske.
With all of the talent they have at Head Coach Sean McVay's disposal, it wouldn't be surprising to see LA reassert itself as a top contender in the NFL. However, everything is dependent on Stafford's health and production, which was thrown into question as he dealt with a worrisome, lingering back injury in training camp.
FanDuel has set the line for Matthew Stafford's passing yards in Week 1 against the Houston Texans at 236.5. The quarterback surpassed that number in exactly half of his games last season. On the one hand, the Rams are expected to have a more productive passing game this year.
After checking in at about league-average in passing attempts the past two seasons, LA could be looking to throw more and give Kyren Williams a lesser workload in 2025. On the other hand, the Houston Texans have one of the most dangerous defenses in the NFL on paper. This will be a good initial litmus test for how competent Stafford and the Rams' offense will be this year.
Davante Adams had just five games under his 56.5-yard line for Week 1 in 2024, out of 14 total outings. However, he's coming into a new offense as the clear WR2 for the first time in his career. He was technically the New York Jets' second option behind Garrett Wilson, but his preexisting relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers made it a much trickier situation.
Now, he'll be working for targets behind a more established young stud in Puka Nacua. Game 1 against the Texans should be very telling for how Adams will be used throughout the 2025 season for the Rams.
This line is a good representation of the Rams' intent to lean less on Kyren Williams to prevent running him into the ground. Last season, he had just four games under 69 yards rushing. This year, LA won't want to overtask him, especially with Blake Corum and promising Auburn rookie Jarquez Hunter available behind him on the depth chart.
In 2024, the Texans allowed the 11th fewest rushing yards in the NFL. If Williams can put up 70 or more against the Houston defense, the Rams will be in good shape for the season.
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