Since there wasn’t much good and a lot of ugly at the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, I decided to do things a little differently – here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly after 12 weeks.

The good

There are a lot of young talents in the squad

Les Snead’s free-agent acquisitions may not live up to their hype this season, but his draft picks from the last two offseasons have exceeded expectations, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomores Byron Young and Kobie Turner have developed into studs, while freshmen Kamren Kinchens, Braden Fiske and Jared Verse are ahead of schedule.

On the other side of the ball, Puka Nacua has already established himself as a star in the NFL and others like Beaux Limmer, Justin Deditch and Jordan Whittington will provide depth for at least the next four years. The young talent does have his weaknesses, especially when it comes to consistency, but the future looks bright in LA. If Snead can pull off another great draft and land another first-round draft pick, the Rams will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.

There’s still time to put everything together

The NFC West is the most competitive division in football, with all four teams having a chance to win every week. The Rams are currently in third place, just one game out of first place, with a favorable matchup this weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

The schedule gets a little tricky with Week 13 featuring matchups against the rest of the NFC West and a dangerous Buffalo Bills team. Sometimes desperation brings out the best in a football team. The Rams have the talent to put it all together by the end of the season and at least punch their ticket to the playoff show. Are they good enough to make it to the Super Bowl? If you believe in “any given Sunday,” then why not the Rams?

Matthew Stafford is still really, really good

Will Matthew Stafford be the face of the organization next year? There isn’t much foresight into the veteran quarterback’s future, however, he is still a top-10 quarterback when he has protection, although that has rarely been the case this season. There are two or three shots per game that Stafford completes that should be impossible, but he still finds a way. It’s a reminder to everyone watching that Stafford has one of, if not the best weapon in the NFL.

The evil

Kyren Williams has taken steps backwards

It seems like the fan base has mixed feelings about the Rams’ starting running back this season. Proponents will point out that Kyren Williams is currently scoring 60% of the team’s touchdowns with nine touchdowns this season and is on pace for another 1,000-yard season (822 yards in 11 games) despite playing behind an injury-riddled offensive line running.

Critics will be quick to point out his five errors, which hampered the team’s momentum at times, and his lack of explosiveness, which limited his ability to finish runs. Regardless of which side you are on, there is room for improvement. This week will be a true testament to Williams’ abilities with a healthy offensive line. If he continues to fumble or perform poorly, maybe it’s time to think about giving Blake Corum more opportunities. If Corum also disappoints, it might be worth taking a look at one of the top prospects in next year’s draft.

The free agent signings have been duds

Tre’Davious White, Jonah Jackson and Colby Parkinson were called upon to make the difference on a team that was on the rise but instead hindered the team’s progress. White lasted about three games before being benched and substituted before the deadline, while Jackson and Parkinson have become strong players rather than permanent starters on the team. Others played well, like Darious Williams and Kamren Curl, but even they struggled at times. Not only did the signing of Snead not work out this year – the signing of Allen Robinson after the team’s Super Bowl victory immediately comes to mind as another disappointment.

A young team means lots of rash mistakes

It feels like every time the Rams have something to offer, a careless mistake destroys their momentum. Through 11 games this season, LA is one of the least penalized teams in the league, averaging 5.5 per game (tied with the Kansas City Chiefs). This may be a little surprising to some, myself included, but really it’s the timing. Against the New England Patriots, Jared Verse was assessed a penalty when he lifted someone off a pile during an attempted fumble recovery, turning a 4th down into a 1st and allowing the Patriots to score a touchdown instead of a punt . With the offense having limited explosiveness this season, every negative play feels like an impossibility to overcome.

There were also numerous miscommunications and poor tackles on defense (113 missed tackles, according to PFF), which allowed teams to create explosive plays against them (see Barkley’s 70- and 72-yard scores last week). The Rams have a lot of young talent that should improve over time, but that also comes with growing pains that have caused them to lose a few games in 2024.

The ugly

The Rams have not played a single free game this season

Despite performing above expectations for most of the season, the defense takes some of the blame for LA’s six losses this season, which led to early frustrations with rookie defensive coordinator Chris Shula, but that changed after a three-game winning streak . The blame has now shifted a bit to the offense, which removed some of its big playmakers from IR and still hasn’t lived up to expectations. A lot of that lies on offense, but McVay’s tendency to call off long-developing plays has also put the team in a bad position. Regardless of who is to blame, neither side of the ball has managed to find a consistent rhythm and we still expect full complementary play in all three phases from LA.