The Rams finished 2017 as the highest scoring team in the NFL, averaging 29.9 points per game. And they've picked up right where they left off this season, averaging 33.6 points per game.
The offense has been executing at a high level throughout the course of the season, with 14 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns. And while the team has scored one defensive touchdown, and another TD off a blocked punt, the defense and special teams units have plenty to do with the amount of points being put up on a weekly basis.
That's because the Rams' average drive start of their own 31.6-yard line leads the NFC and ranks No. 3 in the league behind only the Texans (own 32.5) and Chargers (own 31.6).
The Rams take on the 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Week 7.
How has Los Angeles done so well in that category? Well, take Sunday's 39-10 victory over San Francisco. With four takeaways and a pair of solid returns, Los Angeles had four possessions begin inside San Francisco territory — three of which were inside the 30. Because of that, the Rams had an average drive start of their own 41-yard line.
On Monday, head coach Sean McVay noted that the starting field position the Rams' offense has received throughout the course of the season has been "unbelievable." And with kicker Greg Zuerlein back from his groin injury, the ball doesn't have to move much to get into his scoring range.
"[Y]ou feel like if you really get a first down, you're a first down away from being into what is considered field goal position," McVay said. "In a game where we ended up taking the delay of game, those are situations where Greg legitimately could maybe hit a field goal from there if you really needed those points or you want to play field position based on the way that the game is kind of playing out."
"But, it's unbelievable. Really, that was a big part of being able to win, get those short fields," McVay continued. "Ultimately, it's about scoring points. The yards are the yards, that doesn't matter. What matters to us is scoring as many points as we can and trying to win a football game. The two things — obviously the points is what determines the outcome, but then the next most relevant stat when you just look at it over the course of time are those turnovers and takeaways. To be able to win and be up four [takeaways] in that column yesterday was a big part of why we won that game."
That's not lost on the offensive or defensive players, who are able to pick up the energy off of one other in those sudden-change situations.
"They were incredible today — one of the best defensive performances I've ever been around," quarterback Jared Goff said postgame on Sunday. "It seemed like every time we sat down, we got right back up and went out on the field."
"You see what it does," inside linebacker Mark Barron said. "We are able to get the offense back on the field and put up points. Just putting those turnovers into the equation of playing disciplined football — it's a recipe for this decision — most of the time you're going to win. You got a 80 to 90 percent chance of winning. If you get four turnovers, you probably have a 100 percent chance of winning."
"We love just getting the ball back and giving the offense a chance to score points — that's what our whole mentality is about, is getting the ball back," defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. "We talk about about, 'it's all about the ball'. We get the ball back, we give it back to the best running back, the best offense in the league right now. So, we think they can score points for us."
"That's why we want to go out there and definitely put points on the board after getting a turnover and letting those guys feed of that, and we need to feed off that — especially teams — it goes all three phases," running back Todd Gurley said.
With Los Angeles' offense almost always tough to stop, the club should continue to excel with short fields so long as special teams and defense set the table.
