Rams News: LA Could Be Good Enough to Meet Unique Challenger in Super Bowl

How good will the Rams be?

Jan 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Los Angeles Rams center / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Los Angeles Rams have a chance to make some noise. In 2023, they shocked the football world, including their fans. That team was not supposed to be good, but health (for the most part) was on their side, and some unsung heroes emerged big-time for the Horns. Because of that, they finished with a 10-7 record, earning them the No. 6 seed in the NFC. While they fell short in the playoffs, the Rams will look to avenge themselves this upcoming season. 

Los Angeles is gearing up for an even more impressive season in 2024. While the loss of Aaron Donald is undoubtedly a significant setback, this team is far from being written off. They have the potential to cause some serious damage. The question that lingers is, can they reach the pinnacle of the game this upcoming season — the Super Bowl? 

It depends on who you ask; if you ask some NFL experts and pundits, they might say no, but if you ask former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks, he could see it happening.

Not only could he see it happening, but he also pictures an all-L.A. Super Bowl between the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. Brooks says the offensive prowess of these two teams is the main reason why these two L.A. teams, especially the Rams, could take over New Orleans in early Feb.  

"McVay made a similar gamble a year ago when he revamped his offensive approach to feature more gap-scheme runs, moving away from the previously preferred wide-zone/inside-zone system," Brooks said. "The schematic shift was a better fit for the Rams' retooled offensive line, which featured more road graders than ballerinas at the line of scrimmage...the transition to a gap scheme upped the group's physicality, with Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson really thriving at the point of attack. With Jonah Jackson signed to a big-money deal in free agency, the Rams now have an interior trio with the size, strength and power to bully opponents in the trenches."

The Rams have all you could have on offense, at least on paper. L.A. has an elite Super Bowl-winning quarterback, an elite array of pass catchers, a very solid and competent offensive line, and one of the best coaches in the league, Sean McVay. 

While all that is true, Brooks says his worry about this matchup is the defenses on both sides. 

"Now, the Chargers and Rams will need their defenses to play well enough to keep them in the fight if/when the offenses sputter early in games," Brooks said. While the Bolts have enough established stars on defense (Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Derwin James) to keep it together during a mini slump from their offense, the recent retirement of Aaron Donald puts a lot of pressure on a young core of Rams defenders to tilt the field with timely playmaking. With a pair of new defensive coordinators (Jesse Minter for the Chargers, Chris Shula for the Rams) tasked with crafting schemes to mask their respective units' deficiencies, the onus falls on Harbaugh and McVay to get their offenses flowing early in contests to dictate game flow."

The Rams have a young yet promising defense, especially with the draft additions, and the Chargers had one of the worst defenses in the league in 2023. Both teams went through changes in the offense on that side of the ball; if things can pan out for both, and they can be tough, physical teams, Brooks sees this matchup materialize.  

"If the Chargers and Rams can turn games into fistfights in phone booths, the stage is set for each team to make a postseason run that culminates in a Hollywood ending, with the two Los Angeles squads facing off in Super Bowl LIX."

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