The Los Angeles Rams are already being called Super Bowl favorites after a dramatic offseason makeover, yet the team has not played a single snap. The reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett now share a roster, and the expectation is that this is a championship-caliber team. But as one analyst put it, “We haven’t played a game,” and the hype is running ahead of the reality. The buzz begins with Garrett, who arrives after recording 23 sacks last season.
The view among some observers is blunt: “Can’t nobody block him. ” His presence is expected to transform a defense that was already top ten in sacks, freeing up players like Byron Young, who posted 12 sacks, and Kobe Turner, who has produced seven-plus sacks in three straight seasons as an interior lineman. The calculus is simple: double Garrett, and someone else gets free. The Rams did not stop with the pass rush.
They identified their secondary as a late-game weakness and moved to fix it by adding Trent McDuffie, regarded as one of the most versatile corners in football. McDuffie can play inside, outside, and shadow top receivers. They also brought in Jaylen Watson, his former running mate from Kansas City, adding length and physicality to the defensive backfield. The result is a defense that no longer fears being exposed in the playoffs.
On offense, the engine is Puka Nacua. The former 177th overall pick out of BYU led the NFL in receiving, averaging more than 107 yards per game. He is not just a receiver; he blocks, runs out of the backfield, and is a constant presence in both the run and pass game. His all-around style is exactly what makes him valuable, and exactly what threatens to wear him down.
The Rams have noticed. After Nacua was injured and the team shifted to bigger 12 and 13 personnel packages, they saw that he could be just as productive with fewer snaps. The coaching staff is now exploring ways to lighten his workload so he is not destroyed by September. As one commentator noted, Nacua will never take a play off himself, so the team must do it for him.
That protection matters because the NFC West has become a physical slugfest rather than a finesse division. The Rams face San Francisco twice and Seattle, whose division title ended Los Angeles’s championship run. Every game is punishing, and depth is critical. Reaching the Super Bowl means surviving all of those opponents, not just one.
Even with all the additions, not everyone is convinced the defense is elite. One analyst ranked the unit number five, a placement that struck some as disrespectful given the talent on paper. But the ranking also carries a warning: none of this has been proven on the field.
The Rams have the stars, the depth, and the pressure, but they still have to survive the brutal toll of the season.
