By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams may have a high from their previous Super Bowl victory, but they need to go back to the drawing board for the 2022 season. Their first battle is inches away (on Thursday night against the extremely heavy Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills). Well, I’m going to bring joy and unique excitement to the Rams fan base – by untwining five x-factors for the Rams in the 2022 season.

• Taylor Rapp

The Rams 24-year-old safety, Taylor Rapp, had a sneaky good season in 2022: four interceptions (career-high), pass deflections (six), 1.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, and two tackles for loss. Rapp was even named NFC Defensive Player of The Week for his Week 6 performance. He will surely have an opportunity to prove himself against the best on Thursday night.

• Darrell Henderson Jr.

It’s a massive victory for Sean McVay to utilize a healthy Cam Akers, but they still have an aggressive Darrell Henderson Jr. The Rams RB2 from Mephmis ousted 688 rushing yards (while averaging 4.6 YPC) and five rushing TDs for the Rams offense. PFF handed Henderson Jr. a modest 68.7 grade for his performance in 2021. Besides LA showcasing the 2021 Offensive Player of The Year Cooper Kupp, the new and improved QB Matthew Stafford, and a talented RB1 in Akers, they have an exciting face in Henderson Jr.

• Van Jefferson

The LA Rams showcase the mighty WR duo in Cooper Kupp & Allen Robinson. Yet, let’s not forget about the underrated Van Jefferson — who ousted 50 catches, 802 yards, and 6 touchdowns last season. The 26-year-old will be MIA for the opener, but I trust him to win his match-ups as the season progresses.

• Brandon Powell

The Rams ace returner, Brandon Powell, had a punt return TD on a mere six PRs last season. He also averaged 26 yards per KR. He will be an exciting and consistent threat with more reps – to say the least. He will also have increased snaps at wideout in Week 1 with Jefferson healing his injury.

• Justin Hollins

Justin Hollins may not be Von Miller, but he can have a breakout season at edge rusher. He nicely edged out Terrell Lewis for the starting OLB spot this summer. In eight games last season, the Rams OLB obtained a pair of sacks, 22 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL, and 1 FF.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams pass rush was unusually lethal in 2021, as they ranked third in sacks (50), which stood behind the T.J. Watt-led Pittsburgh Steelers (55) & the Minnesota Vikings (51). Impressively the Rams and their ultimate QB hunter in Aaron Donald ranked second in sacks (53) in 2020, and fourth in sacks in 2019 (50).

So, how will the most tenacious human beings in LA perform in pursuing opposing signal-callers in 2022? I undoubtedly foresee the Rams being a Top-3 team in QB sacks in 2022. The Rams showcase the mythical AD, the electric Leonard Floyd (9.5 sacks in 2021 and 10.5 sacks in 2020), and A’Shawn Robinson.

Donald ousted 12.5 sacks, 25 QB hits, and absolutely stood out in the Super Bowl with a 90.1 pass rushing grade. The Rams DT has unleashed 11+ sacks in six of his prior seven seasons in the league. He’s also obtained first-team All-Pro honors in each of his past seven seasons. The Rams boldly made Donald the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history this off-season, too.

He will ask Floyd, who was signed as a free agent in the 2020 off-season, to continue wreaking havoc. Floyd registered personal-best stats in the following categories in 2020: sacks (10.5) and QB hits (19). He didn’t slow down chasing QBs in 2021 – where he unveiled 9.5 sacks and 18 QB hits. The 29-year-old will be a free agent in the 2025 off-season.

Justin Hollins, the man called on to replace Von Miller, is a prime breakout candidate for LA. He collected two sacks and 1 QB hit last season. Furthermore, he had a modest 69.8 grade by PFF. Hollins beat out Terrell Lewis for the starting OLB spot, as Lewis has ousted five sacks and 7 QB hits in his two-year career. The Rams cut ties with the D2 legend Chris Garrett. I would be shocked if another team didn’t claim the athletic freak and scrappy edge rusher.

The Rams are known for possessing a very gifted passing offense, but let’s not forget that they display a fire-breathing pass rush, too. It will be vital that the Rams can make life miserable for the mega-arm & bull-dozing QB Josh Allen in Week 1.

Allen may be the most popular MVP candidate heading into the 2022 season, but he wasn’t sinless against opponents with a violent pass rush a season ago. Last season – the Saints picked off Allen twice, the Colts intercepted the Bills QB1 twice, the Bucs snagged a pick against Allen, and Allen only threw 4 touchdowns to 1 int in his two games against the Phins. I foresee the Rams pressuring the Bills polarizing QB (who had 15 ints last season) into committing a couple of turnovers in their first battle of the 2022 season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams may have had fireworks on offense under Sean McVay, but they also really leaned on their defense to upend the likes of Tom Brady and Joe Burrow in the recent post-season gauntlet. Well, the Rams will miss the future Hall of Famer Von Miller (2 sacks in Super Bowl LVI), who left for Buffalo in free agency. Nonetheless, I still love the Rams direction on defense (and on offense) this off-season and I’m going to untwine three reasons why their defense will really improve in 2022.

Improved rushing attack

It’s exciting when the Matthew Stafford-Cooper Kupp connection can be utterly explosive in the passing game, but it’s also crucial to have a strong, balanced offensive attack. The Rams ranked 25th in rushing yards last season and they are happy to witness a healthy Cam Akers moving forward. Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network listed Akers as one of the NFL’s most underappreciated players.

The explosive RB will not only seek to reach the end zone frequently, but he will also slowly break down opposing defenses and help the Rams time of possession. The Rams ranked 20th in TOP last season, while the Buffalo Bills ranked fifth in TOP (and coincidentally yielded the best defense in YPG allowed). A well-rested AD will thank Akers and the Rams offense.

Bobby Wagner

Let’s be honest – the Rams have a new legend at LB in Bobby Wagner. He has made the Pro Bowl in each season between 2014 and 2021. Furthermore, he made five straight All-Pro teams between 2015 and 2020. He also has only missed two games in his past six seasons. He will seek to propel a Rams-run defense that actually ranked sixth in rushing yards allowed last season — so, there is no reason that the Rams defense doesn’t edge out defensive units like the Ravens and Saints for the best-run defense with the Donald-Wagner tandem leading the charge. Wagner signed a five-year contract worth $50 million with a Rams team that he previously despised.

Justin Hollins

The Rams will clearly have Leonard Floyd (20 sacks in the past two seasons combined), but they will certainly ask Justin Hollins to elevate his performance (as he will ideally be the new OLB starter). Hollins learned a lot under Von Miller and he feels very energized about the increase in opportunities in 2022. Cole Thompson from the Rams Digest outlines that the 6’5 pass rusher could breakout next season. Thompson talks about how he made flashes in his third season, that Hollins has developed a stronger football IQ, and that 2022 will be his contract season. The other OLB I expect to turn heads on occasion (at least) is Chris Garrett, who was a D2 legend at Concordia St. Paul, and he could be an x-factor in his sophomore season.

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