LA Rams QB Room Is Epicenter of Confidence and Chaos for 2024

Even though veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford had an impressive 2023 NFL season, the offense left a lot of yards on the field to recover in 2024. After all, Stafford bounced back from a 2,087-yard season in 2022 to throw for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2023. But would you take me for a fool for thinking Stafford can match his 2021 performance this year?

Stafford only played in 15 games last season, which limited his yardage total. If Stafford had averaged 300 passing yards in those two games, his numbers would have topped 4,500 passing yards last year.

But another thing to consider is that Stafford has been throwing passes to new faces in 2023. Of the 521 passes he threw last season, more than half were thrown to new faces on the Rams roster. While we can’t know how the team will distribute targets in 2024, you can be sure that a significant majority of passes will be thrown to familiar faces. Why does this matter?

Prior to 2023, Stafford was averaging two or more completions for every three passes thrown. In 2023, that completion rate dropped to three completions for every five passes. This is likely due to the fact that he was building chemistry with so many unfamiliar faces.

The team made only minor changes at receiver, and the team made only minor changes at tight end and running back. But where the Rams have invested heavily is in the ability to block and protect Matthew Stafford this season.

I believe bringing back the same receivers, while investing in an upgrade to the offensive line this season, will pay big dividends for the team this year. Despite the chaos at quarterback over the past two seasons, the team has instilled a calm confidence at the quarterback position for 2024.

As always, thanks for reading.