The Los Angeles Rams‘ issues on special teams haven’t just been reserved for kicker Joshua Karty.
The unit has struggled as a whole and ranks among the worst in special teams expected points added. The Rams rank 30th with a -16.9 EPA on special teams, per @SFdata9ers on X. Only the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are worse.
This really couldn’t as a surprise if you consider how the Rams rank in major special teams categories through the first five weeks of the season. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Advertisement
Net punt yards (yards punted minus opposing punt return yards): 22nd
Yards per punt return: 21st
Punt return yards allowed: 10th
Kickoff return yards: 19th
Field goal percentage: 25th
Extra point kick percentage: 29th
The only special teams stat the Rams rank highly in is kickoff return yards allowed. L.A. has allowed the fewest, but that’s only because they’re one of the best teams at kicking the ball into the landing zone before the returning team has time to move the ball.
The Rams’ two losses can also be directly related to their special teams. Karty missed two field goals in the Rams’ Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, including one that was blocked and returned for a touchdown. He also missed a field goal and had an extra point blocked. Added all together and that’s a -17 point differential between the missed kicks and one that ended in a touchdown.
Does that -17 number sound familiar? It’s because it’s almost identical to the one noted at the top of this article.
It’s hard to pin the losses directly to special teams, but this is a side of the ball that has become increasingly important with the NFL’s new rule changes. While L.A. is good at exploiting one of those new rules, the special teams unit hasn’t been able to take full advantage and use it to win games yet.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams special teams are one of the worst in the NFL this season