National Football League

Rams' offensive line ready to protect Matthew Stafford after poor Week 1

Updated Sep. 15, 2022 3:08 p.m. ET

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFC West Writer

Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Coleman Shelton said it plainly when asked about his group's effort in the team's season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"We've got to keep Matthew [Stafford] clean," Shelton said. "That's the goal moving forward. And we're going to give it everything we've got."

The Super Bowl champs did not accomplish that goal against the Bills. The Rams allowed seven sacks and 16 quarterback hits on Stafford. The seven sacks are a high mark (or a low mark) for the Rams during coach Sean McVay's five-year tenure with the team.

To make matters worse, the Bills generated consistent pressure by rushing just four defenders throughout the game.

"They made their plays, but I think it goes both ways," McVay said when asked whether he credits Buffalo's defensive line playing well or his offensive line struggling last week. "When I'm looking at it through the lens of the confidence and expectations that I have for our guys, I expect us to be better. But you certainly don't want to take away from the credit that those guys earned, and the production they earned."

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L.A.'s offensive line will be under the microscope even more in Sunday's Week 2 contest against the Atlanta Falcons because of a reshuffling due to injuries. Pro Bowl center Brian Allen had knee surgery and will be out from two to four weeks, according to McVay. Left tackle Joe Noteboom suffered a strained MCL and will be day-to-day, putting his availability in question for Sunday. Noteboom did not practice on Wednesday.

That means the Rams' already struggling line could have new players starting at left tackle and center against the Falcons. Alaric Jackson is slated to replace Noteboom at left tackle, while Shelton will move from right guard to center. Tremayne Anchrum Jr. will get his first NFL start, filling the void at right guard.

Shelton made two spot starts at center in place of Allen last year, so he's familiar with protecting Stafford. However, Shelton is a left-handed snapper, which is a little different.

Jackson, an undrafted rookie from Iowa who signed with the Rams after the 2021 draft, played most of a Week 16 win at Minnesota last season with Andrew Whitworth on the COVID-19 list.

"We're doing our best to not change," starting left guard David Edwards told reporters this week. "We're a process group — process over results. Our approach this week is going to be predicated on the film room, what we see tendency-wise and studying guys. Being prepared for what they present in terms of pressures and situations. And then going out and playing. Learning from last week to this week, let's just go out and play and have fun. And whatever happens, happens."

The Rams used five different starting offensive line combinations on their way to 12 wins last season, so McVay is used to shuffling players up front and still being an effective offense.

"Sometimes until you get punched in the face, you really find out about people," McVay said. "That's what I love about the opportunity to respond. That's what makes this game so great. Whether we had won it or whether we had lost it, you got to be able to move forward. So sometimes those humbling experiences, as you guys have heard me say, when you got the right people, they can be blessings in disguise."

Along with solving the offensive-line issues, McVay must figure out how to get his offense going. The Rams managed just 10 points and 243 yards of total offense last week against the Bills.

Cooper Kupp finished with 13 receptions for 128 receiving yards and a score. Darrell Henderson totaled 73 scrimmage yards. Besides those two, the Rams got very little from the rest of their playmakers.

Specifically, McVay would like to get wide receiver Allen Robinson and running back Cam Akers more involved. Robinson had one reception for 12 yards on just two targets in his first game with the Rams. And Akers played just 12 offensive snaps, posting three rushing attempts for zero yards.

"When we're at our best on offense, we're getting everybody involved," Stafford said. "We're making the defense defend every player on our team, every blade of grass on the field. We can do a better job of that. I can do a better job of distributing the football to those guys, getting the guys touches early on in games and helping them feel in the rhythm of the game."

Akers had emerged as L.A.'s go-to back in his rookie season of 2020, finishing with 748 yards from scrimmage during the regular season and another 272 scrimmage yards in the team's playoff run. Then he suffered a torn Achilles tendon right before the start of 2021 training camp. When he returned at the end of the regular season for his team's Super Bowl run, Akers was not the same player.

McVay said he would like to see more urgency from the third-year pro.

"This is a guy I have a lot of confidence in," McVay said about Akers. "I know he's going to respond the right way. We've absolutely had conversations where it's because of the belief that I have, is why I'm pushing him.

"Where guys should be worried is if I'm not believing, if I stop coaching or don't think you're capable of it. That's when I would be concerned about it. But he's a guy that has always responded the right way. He's a mentally tough kid, and he's going to make plays for us. I believe that."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.