Rams Being Slept On In New Win Total For 2024 Season

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 3, 2024

Dec 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) enter the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NFL season is almost upon us, and the Los Angeles Rams are looking to capitalize on a surprisingly successful 2023 season that saw them head to the playoffs.

That being said, computers and algorithms don't think that the Rams will have the same success this year as they did last year.

Using Austin Mock's betting model, The Athletic ran 10,000 simulations of the 2024 NFL season in order to create win projections for all 32 teams.

Surprising no one, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs led their respective conferences with 11.4 and 11.3 wins respectively. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders brought up the rear with six and 5.9 wins.

What is surprising is that the simulations put the Rams right near the middle, predicting that Los Angeles will finish with 8.8 total wins.

The Athletic had some of their experts react to these win totals, with Senior Writer Jourdan Rodrigue expressing some disbelief over the Rams' predicted finish.

"This feels a little low for a team that exceeded expectations in 2023 and added more resources to both sides of the ball," Jourdan Rodrigue said. "Injuries will be a major factor early, with the Rams returning multiple key players from absence: Jonah Jackson (shoulder), Puka Nacua (knee) Darious Williams (hamstring)."

"They should get starting right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) back either in Week 1 or by Week 3. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson (ankle, suspension) will be back in Week 3. No, there’s no Aaron Donald — but a depleted Rams team won 10 games last season. They will go as Matthew Stafford goes."

Rodrigue is absolutely correct with her assessment, especially in regards to quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Since he came to Los Angeles in 2021, Stafford has proven to be the x-factor for the Rams. In his first year with the team, he led them to a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Unfortunately, the Rams experienced a massive drop in quality when he missed a good amount of the 2022 season due to injury. That year, Los Angeles finished with a 5-12 record.

In 2023, the Rams made a surprise resurgence when Stafford came back healthy and led Los Angeles to a 10-7 record, earning a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

If Stafford continues to play with the same quality and consistency he has in the past, there's no doubt that the Rams could find themselves in the playoffs once again.

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