Just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Los Angeles Rams during the 2022 season had a way of going wrong, from poor play to devastating injuries. The end result was five-win season that proved to be a bitter disappointment in their defense of their Super Bowl title and the first losing season of the Sean McVay era.
Can they bounce back this season? Let’s take an updated look at their floor and ceiling for 2023 after what we saw in the preseason.
Ceiling: 10-7
Getting a healthy Matthew Stafford back at quarterback is obviously the most important thing for the Rams, because his rapid regression and absence during the 2022 season was a significant factor in the team’s downfall. A franchise quarterback changes everything, and the Rams not only did not have their guy at 100 percent (at times they didn’t even have him at all), but they had no good option behind him and even had to resort to starting Baker Mayfield after signing him mid-season.
The same theory is in place on defense where Aaron Donald also missed significant time last season. Donald is not only the Rams’ best overall player, he is one of the best defensive players of all time and one of the most impactful game-changing forces the league has. If Stafford and Donald are able to return to health and play to the best of their abilities it is not out of the question to envision a scenario where the Rams rapidly return to playoff contention. They might not have the depth to win it all, but the NFC is so wide open that they could easily get back to double-digit wins and a postseason berth.
Floor: 5-12
While Stafford and Donald returning to health is enough to create some optimism, there is still no guarantee that they will be as good as they were at their peak given their ages.
The Rams also have to be severely concerned about their depth at other positions across the board, specifically at wide receiver where Cooper Kupp has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury before the season even begins, and at cornerback where they have no real proven starters.
Without Kupp there would be a significant drop off in terms of targets for Stafford, while the cornerback room is alarmingly thin following the offseason trade of Jalen Ramsey. On paper, it is clearly not one of the Rams’ better teams and a lot is going to have to go right just to get them back into contention. After selling out to win a Super Bowl everybody knew there was going to be a time where they would have to pay the toll. That time seems to have arrived.