Los Angeles Rams 2022-2023 Season Preview | OSB
Los Angeles Rams 2022-2023 Season Preview
Can the Rams become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions in nearly two decades?
The Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history in 2021 after acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford to replace Jared Goff. Adding Stafford to a roster that was already loaded paid immediate dividends for head coach Sean McVay and the Rams. The Rams will be looking to become the NFL’s first repeat Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots nearly two decades ago.
Can the Rams repeat as Super Bowl champions?
The Rams were long viewed as having one of the best rosters in football, yet had been unable to get over the hump. Many felt that their former quarterback, Goff, was holding them, as he regressed following back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018 and a Super Bowl appearance where he couldn’t lead the offense to the end zone.
The Rams finally decided to move on from the quarterback whom they drafted first overall in 2016, sending him along with 2022 and 2023 first-round picks and a 2021 third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for Stafford, another former first overall pick. The Rams, who have not picked in the first-round since drafting Goff, decided to go all-in on their Super Bowl quest, and it ended up paying off.
Entering 2022, there was some chatter that superstar defensive tackle may retire, but instead the Rams were able to convince the future Hall of Famer to stick around. They ended up extending the contracts of Donald, Stafford, and superstar wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who won the wide receiving triple crown in 2021, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
The Rams did lose pass rusher Von Miller, who they acquired from the Denver Broncos in a midseason trade to add to their playoff push. Losing Miller may sting, but the contract offer he received from the Buffalo Bills, the Rams Week 1 opponent, was far too good to pass up. The Rams also saw starters cornerback Darious Wiliams, guard Austin Corbett, and defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day all depart in free agency. The Rams also lost offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, who was named the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, although McVay had been in charge of play calling.
The Rams were able to bring in inside linebacker Bobby Wagner, who has been an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in each of the past eight seasons. Another key acquisition for the Rams was wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson was brought in to replace Odell Beckham Jr., who tore his ACL in the Super Bowl. While Beckham remains unsigned and could end up back with the Rams once he is healthy, Robinson gives them insurance in case Beckham chooses to go elsewhere.
The Rams currently have the fifth-best odds, +1100, to win the Super Bowl and become the first repeat champions in nearly two decades. Their odds trail only the Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs. Their +450 odds to win the NFC trail only the Buccaneers and Packers, while their +125 odds of winning the NFC West, who sent three teams to the postseason in 2021, are the best in the division. The Rams are currently -250 to make the postseason while the over/under on their win total sits at 10.5 wins.
While the Rams roster remains stacked, even with the departures, repeating as Super Bowl champions is very difficult. As previously mentioned, no team has done it in nearly two decades. Overall, there have only been eight repeat Super Bowl champions. The Rams certainly have the talent to become the ninth. Much of it will depend on the team’s ability to stay healthy and focused down the stretch of a long season.
