The Los Angeles Rams 2024 season came to an end on Sunday afternoon following their 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs. It was a disappointing end to an extremely fun season. The Rams had chances and began the fourth quarter trailing by only one point. However, their season was fumbled away on back-to-back drives as Saquon Barkley rushed for over 200 yards once again. Here are my 10 takeaways from the Rams final loss of the year.
1. Offense got off to a good start
A theme for the Rams offense this season was how they consistently got off to slow starts. The Rams were one of the worst first quarter teams, ranking 30th in scoring. They also ranked 30th in first quarter offense EPA. That was not the case in the playoffs. The Rams scored a touchdown on the opening drive against the Vikings. They did so once again on Sunday against the Eagles.
On the opening drive, the Rams moved the ball down the field methodically. It took 13 plays, but they ended in the end zone. Two possessions later, they scored a field goal. It was always important for the Rams to keep the game close early and not let it get out of hand. The offense had its issues, but keeping the game within reach in the first half following two explosive runs was a huge win.
2. Defense needed to contain Saquon Barkley and didn’t
All week it was said how the Rams needed to contain Saquon Barkley. They didn’t necessarily need to avoid the explosive runs, but the devastating ones. Barkley had two of them. For the most part, the Rams did contain Barkley. Outside of his two touchdown runs, Barkley had 24 carries for 65 yards. That’s 2.7 yards per carry to go with a 40 percent success rate. However, it was the devastating runs that were the difference.
On the opening drive, Jalen Hurts had a 44-yard tuck and run on a read option. Barkley then took a run 62 yards for a score on a 3rd-and-4 in the first quarter. The touchdown in the fourth quarter was the nail in the coffin. With the Rams trailing by seven, Barkley went 78 yards on the first play. Both of Barkley’s touchdowns came against eight and nine man boxes. Bad angles and missed tackles in the secondary led to big touchdown runs.
3. Jared Verse walked the walk
Coming into the week, Jared Verse did a lot of talking, specifically about how much he hated Eagles fans. The Rams rookie had just one pressure in the first game against the Eagles, but continued to show how he has the ability to back up everything that he says. Verse had four pressures and two sacks against the Eagles. He had two pressures and a sack while going up against each of the elite Eagles offensive tackles.
His four pressures also don’t mention the opportunities that he created for others along the defensive line. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula did a good job bringing Verse inside on a few stunts to get him more favorable matchups. The Rams rookie took over the game defensively and it’s going to be exciting to see the steps that he takes going into year two.
4. Some concerns about interior offensive line
At some point this offseason, a conversation may need to be had about Steve Avila. That’s not to say he should get benched, but there’s no question that he didn’t progress like some were expecting. Some of that may have had to do with the injury early in the season. Beaux Limmer stepped in nicely at center, but it’s worth wondering if the Rams can still upgrade at that spot and use him as depth.
The Rams have invested a lot in the interior of the offensive line. There’s no shame in getting beat by Jalen Carter. At the same time, a player like Avila or Kevin Dotson need to be able to hold up in the big moments. Limmer was simply overmatched at times. Avila can get better in year three and the same can be said about Limmer. Still, in big moments in pass protection and in short yardage situations, the Rams got beat on the interior. It was arguably the worst performance this season when all five starting offensive linemen played.
5. Defensive line took over
On the other side of the ball is where the Rams can be really excited about moving forward. Despite losing Braden Fiske early in the game, the Rams defensive line took over in the passing game. Weather was certainly a factor, but Hurts finished with 128 yards passing and just 65 net yards through the air. Hurts didn’t complete a single pass more than five yards down the field. The Eagles quarterback was sacked seven times.
This is all after the Rams sacked Sam Darnold nine times the week before. With the group of Byron Young and Kobie to go with Fiske and Verse, the Rams have a defensive front that can take over games and win in the playoffs. The safety by Neville Gallimore should have been a momentum shifting play. A better game against the run and this Rams defensive front likely leads them to another playoff win.
6. Another Kyren Williams fumble shifted momentum
Back in Week 12, the Rams were driving and inside the red zone on their opening possession. Kyren Williams fumbled, stalling any early momentum that the Rams might get. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Rams looked to be in a place of control. Gallimore had just sacked Jalen Hurts in the end zone for a safety. Two plays later, Williams fumbled and the Eagles to recovered in scoring range. The fumble in that spot negated the safety’s positive impact.
The loss isn’t solely on Kyren Williams, but his fumble played a big part in it. Not every running back is Saquon Barkley, but Sunday showed the difference between elite and average. Williams can’t not be explosive, not be able to create, not have breakaway speed, and also rank second in the NFL in fumbles. With breakaway speed, his big run at the beginning of the third quarter is a touchdown. The fumble simply can’t happen in that spot and it’s an issue that goes back to him playing at Notre Dame. Blake Corum is a similar style runner and had one fumble in three years at Michigan while also scoring almost 30 touchdowns in his final season.
7. Little mistakes are amplified in the postseason
Prior to the Denver Broncos playing the Buffalo Bills, Sean Payton showed his team a video of how little mistakes are amplified in the postseason. That was evident for the Rams on Sunday. They had a higher offensive success rate than the Eagles, had more yards, and a higher EPA per pass. It’s the little things that come back to haunt you.
The Rams had three drops, two of which came on third down. They had six drops over the course of the entire season. A false start on the final drive allowed the Eagles to sub their defensive linemen. The offensive line had a missed blocking assignment on the final drive with Tyler Higbee coming open over the middle. Matthew Stafford mishandled a handoff that turned 1st-and-goal from the eight into 2nd-and-goal from the 15. The Rams played a small margin game most of the season due to self-inflicted errors. Those errors become your downfall in the playoffs.
8. Sean McVay’s late-game management showed growth
It’s worth noting Sean McVay’s late-game timeout usage. Last year, McVay used his timeouts early in the second half. When the Detroit Lions got the ball back late, the Rams head coach could only stand and watch as the clock ticked down. Fast forward one year later, and McVay’s clock management was a reason the offense had over two minutes to go down the field for the game-winning drive.
There was a lot of growth with McVay this season when it came to fourth down decision making and timeout usage. An argument can be made that the Rams should have gone for it on 4th-and-3 from the 12 trailing by six. However, McVay went for it on the opening drive and it resulted in a touchdown. McVay is learning and making progress in game management. It’s not perfect, but growth is a positive.
9. Nearly got another late-game playoff Stafford moment
With a little over two minutes and 82 yards to go, there was almost no doubt that Matthew Stafford was going to lead a game-winning drive. A final score of 29-28 nearly seemed imminent. It looked like it might happen after Stafford hit Puka Nacua perfectly down the right sideline.
However, once the Rams got into the red zone, the drive stalled. Dotson’s false start penalty turned a 2nd-and-7 into 2nd-and-12. The Rams had 3rd-and-2, but Stafford was sacked for a loss of nine. On the final play, Stafford sailed the ball over Nacua. Sunday was everything that you love and hate about Stafford. He takes the sack trying to make something happen or makes the back-crushing turnover. The offense may disappear for stretches, but you’re also never out of it.
10. No more moral victories in 2025
The Rams took a moral victory last season, pushing the Detroit Lions to the final play. It was a positive performance and impressive run after starting 3-6. This season, the Rams started 1-4, and after taking the Eagles to the last play, there is a lot to be proud of heading into the offseason. With that said, that’s where this ends. Making the playoffs and the divisional round is something to be proud of every single time. Still, this is a young team that’s ready to compete next year.
They have another first round pick and are set to have $46-million in cap space. This is a team that can push some chips into the middle of the table and go for it one final time with Stafford. They need to find some explosiveness on offense and continue to build the secondary. The Rams are close. A loss like this is something that will stick with a young team heading into next year. They need to come out of the gates swinging next year and not fall behind early. The current core of players has the ability to do something special.
