The Rams' 2024 offense, helmed by head coach Sean McVay, expanded on the principles it has prized in recent years. They utilized pre-snap motion and play-action passing heavily to influence the defense and create leverage for playmakers, even more so than in past years.
Los Angeles' passing production was led by quarterback Matthew Stafford's veteran playmaking ability and wide receiver Puka Nacua's eclectic sophomore success. Meanwhile, running back Kyren Williams played his first full NFL season and collected his second-straight with 1,000 yards on the ground.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' 2024 offense:
The Rams' offense ranked second in the league in motion rate (74.4%) and play-action rate (30.7%), via nflverse data
Pre-snap motion and play-action passing are two of the fastest-growing offensive concepts in the NFL, and they are both staples of the Rams' scheme. Not only did Los Angeles use those concepts at a high rate, but it ran them with consistent success.
The Rams' success rate on motion plays ranked eighth in the NFL at 47.7% (nearly five percentage points higher than their success rate on non-motion plays), and their play-action success rate ranked fourth at 55.8%. When both were utilized on the same play, their success rate was even higher, at 58.3% (ranking fourth).
Success is defined as any play that yields positive expected points added (EPA), which measures how many points a play is expected to add or subtract to a team's total based on historical context like field position, time and other factors. Only three teams had a higher success rate than the Rams on both play-action passes and motion plays, and they were all dynamic offenses: The Lions, Ravens and Buccaneers.
Stafford accumulated the second-most EPA on play-action passes in the regular and postseason combined (+56.9), via NGS
Stafford threw for 1,575 yards (ranking third) and averaged 9.0 yards per play with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions on play-action passes. He was also only pressured on 27.1% of those dropbacks, which was the 10th-lowest in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks. Everyone on the field has a distinct role on those plays to create a desired effect from the defense, and they executed routinely throughout the year.
This is a testament to McVay's offensive installments. Play-action passes would often involve screens, motion or bootleg actions to create leverage or avoid pressure. McVay's successful marriage of run and pass concepts increased the potency of play-action fakes even more.
Nacua led the league in yards per route run (YPRR) at 3.23, via Next Gen Stats (NGS)
No other qualified receiver cleared 2.9 YPRR, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Nacua was a matchup nightmare no matter where he was on the field, or how opponents tried to slow him down.
Nacua ranked first in YPRR against zone coverage (3.57) by 0.66 yards and seventh versus man coverage (3.04), via to PFF. Meanwhile, NGS had him at third in YPRR from the slot (3.3) and second out wide (3.4). He may have missed a few games, but Nacua's production on a per-route basis was unmatched in 2024.
Williams ranked fifth among qualified running backs in rushing success rate (45.7%), via NGS
Williams seemed to always do enough to put the Rams' offense ahead of the sticks, and that was reflected on the stat sheet. His 45.7% rushing success rate means he produced positive EPA on nearly 46% of his carries, which was better than that of elite backs like Lions speedster Jahmyr Gibbs and Offensive Player of the Year candidate Saquon Barkley. Williams' 1,299 yards in the regular season ranked seventh in the league and he received the third-most carries with 316.
After the Rams' Divisional Round loss to Philadelphia, Williams said he wanted to work on his breakaway speed. But, in short-distance situations, there were few running backs more efficient than him. Williams followed his blocks and always kept the legs churning for extra yards. He may be one of the smaller workhorse backs in the league at 5-foot-9, 202 pounds, but he plays like a powerful bruiser. That play style led to 61 missed tackles forced, via PFF, tied for ninth in the NFL.
Stafford had the third-most passing yards against the blitz this season (including playoffs), via NGS
Stafford's 1,494 passing yards against the blitz in 18 games ranked third among quarterbacks, and 12 of the top 13 players in that stat played at least 18 games, as Stafford did. The veteran gunslinger totaled 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and +22.6 EPA against blitzes (eighth). The front also picked up blitzes at a high level, as Stafford was pressured on 37.2% of dropbacks, the 10th-lowest rate in the NFL.
This season, Stafford produced two of the top 10 single-game performances against the blitz in terms of yards, and one came in the playoffs. His 217 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots was the most, while his 178 yards and two scores against the Vikings in the Wild Card round was the 10th-most. Both featured passer ratings over 144 and completion percentages over expected above 10%, with finger guns ablaze.
