NFL offseason power rankings: No. 1 Los Angeles Rams move all in to win another Super Bowl

August 5, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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The Los Angeles Rams' model isn't complicated, nor is it hard to copy. Yet, one of 32 teams goes about its business as the Rams do. And that one team is the clear Super Bowl favorite.

As Rams general manager Les Snead has said through the years, it's more complicated than the "(forget) them picks" phrase that has become attached to him and the franchise. It's just an aggressive mindset that Snead picked up when he was in the Falcons' front office with then-GM Thomas Dimitroff.

"You could see his mentality, our mentality of why," Snead told ESPN in 2022. "We're aware of this window. Let's make a bet that we can make the most of this window."

Not only did the Rams see the window open this offseason, they will forever look back at one play costing them a title already. A controversial two-point conversion went against them at Seattle, and that ended up being a part of one of the zaniest comeback wins of the past few NFL seasons. Before that game, Seattle was 0-172 all time when trailing by 15 or more points in the fourth quarter, according to the Amazon broadcast.

That two-point conversion, which was reviewed long after the play was called dead and then ruled a backward lateral by Seattle that was nonchalantly recovered in the end zone, might have changed who won the Super Bowl. Whether that's the case, the Rams will believe it forever.

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Getting as close as the Rams did, losing an NFC championship game in Seattle after falling short of winning the division, would drive any team crazy. And the Rams were already a bit crazy to begin with.

For just about any other team, a trade of a first-, fifth- and sixth-round pick in 2026 and a third-round pick in a strong 2027 draft for Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie would be the biggest move of their offseason. Then the Rams made one of the biggest trades in NFL history. Myles Garrett became arguably the greatest player ever to be traded, when taking into account where previous traded stars were in their career arc (Ollie Matson, Bobby Layne, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk and Randy Moss were all traded in their primes and are on the short list with Garrett).

Garrett just set the single-season sack record and has grown beyond being compared to his peers. He should be compared to all-time greats like Reggie White and Bruce Smith. Garrett has a strong case as the best player in the NFL, regardless of position. And the Rams landed him. Maybe they'll convince Aaron Donald to come back too, but that was still in the air as training camp started.

Myles Garrett (95) joins an already loaded Rams team this season. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)Ric Tapia via Getty Images

The Rams had to give up a lot to the Browns, including talented young defensive end Jared Verse, but maximizing a Super Bowl opportunity was worth it. Other teams aren't operating that way, instead holding onto picks like they're the golden ticket. If Garrett brings the Rams a Super Bowl, nobody will ever care what becomes of those picks.

And the Rams should win a Super Bowl. That can be a burden. A team with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams on offense and a defense that just needed to fix its cornerback issue but ended up also adding Garrett looks like a runaway favorite on paper. But very few preseason Super Bowl favorites this century have actually won it all. It's tough, in a sport that is filled with injuries and has a one-and-done playoff format, to project everything to go right.

But the Rams have done all they can do. They're the best team in the NFL heading into the season. The chase to catch them begins.

Offseason grade

Many applauded the Browns for getting defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick for Myles Garrett. It was a good haul. But the odds of Verse or any of those picks having a career like Garrett, a lock first-ballot Hall of Famer, are low. When the Rams kick off the season in Australia against the 49ers, it will be pretty clear why the Rams didn't mind shipping off those picks.

Before that monumental move, the Rams had a clear weakness at cornerback. They filled it by raiding the Chiefs, trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson, Kansas City's starting corners last season. Funny enough, the Rams were very quiet other than adding Garrett, McDuffie and Watson. They didn't add anyone else of note in free agency or lose any crucial players either.

The other talking point of the offseason was the Rams drafting quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall. It was an unpopular move, because otherwise the Rams were focused on winning immediately and Simpson also wasn't considered a top-13 prospect in this draft. But the Rams are a great organization and as they said, drafting Simpson allowed them to trade future picks for Garrett without worrying about figuring out Matthew Stafford's eventual successor.

The Rams might have been better off in the present by taking someone like receiver Makai Lemon or help on either line, but they did plenty to improve the roster. And maybe the Simpson pick ends up working out as well as the Rams hope.

Grade: A

Quarterback report

Last August, the story with Matthew Stafford was a back injury that seemed to put his status for the season opener and maybe even beyond in danger. That ended up being a part of Stafford's MVP story. Stafford became the oldest player to win his first MVP, breaking Rich Gannon's record. He threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns during a remarkable season.

There's still risk in Stafford slipping as he enters his age-38 season. After winning MVP, Gannon played only 10 more games across two seasons, throwing nine touchdowns. It doesn't seem like Stafford is anywhere near the end, but many great quarterbacks through history have been retired or fading by age 38.

Even Stafford said he thought he had three good seasons left after the Rams traded for him in 2021. Stafford was excellent last season. But at his age, there are no guarantees going forward.

Odds breakdown

From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: "The Rams didn't have many weaknesses last season, but the secondary and special teams were two of them. Los Angeles hired a new special teams coordinator in Bubba Ventrone to fix the former, and traded for or signed Myles Garrett, Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie to help with the latter. They felt the roster was so set that they surprised the NFL by drafting Alabama QB Ty Simpson in the first round — a player who shouldn't see the field this season if all goes according to plan.

"Oh yeah, and Aaron Donald could come out of retirement as well. The Rams are favored in 16 of 17 games (+1.5 at Seahawks in Week 16), are tied with the Ravens for the league's highest win total at 11.5, have the best playoff odds of any team (-500) and are the Super Bowl favorites at sportsbooks. The Rams do have the fifth-hardest schedule by opposing season win totals, but it may not matter with how good this team could be."

Yahoo's fantasy take

From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: "Kyren Williams remains the featured back in Los Angeles, no changes there. But make room for Blake Corum in the Circle of Trust. Corum averaged double-digit carries for the final 11 games of 2025, producing at a pace that maps to 179-911-7.7 for a full season.

"The Rams could turn this backfield into a 60-40 split for the fresh season, which would give Corum stand-alone value from the jump. And if Williams gets hurt or hits any kind of slump, Corum looms as a possible ADP smash. The summer market seems split on Corum's fantasy value, which is why he's still available outside of the top 90 in most leagues."

Stat to remember

It's not like anyone needs a reminder that Myles Garrett, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year two of the past three seasons, is great. But his 2025 season was beyond even the normal DPOY effort.

Garrett was double-teamed on a little more than 59% of his pass rush snaps last season according to Pro Football Focus, the most among any true edge defender in the NFL. He was chipped on a little more than 26% of his pass rush snaps. That was second to T.J. Watt. And Garrett still managed to get 23 sacks, an NFL record.

As was pointed out often by Browns fans tired of hearing that Garrett broke the record in 17 games instead of 16, Garrett had 437 pass rush snaps vs. 616 for Watt when he tied the record (Michael Strahan had 567 snaps when he set the record) via Sleeper NFL. Browns' opponents didn't have to pass it much, but when they did Garrett was usually in their backfield.

Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, with double-digit sacks in eight straight seasons. He has a shot at Bruce Smith's all-time record of 200 sacks, depending how long he wants to play. He has won two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, one short of the record shared by Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald (who might end up as his teammate this season). Garrett is in the middle of one of the great all-time careers. Like Peyton Manning, Reggie White, Randy Moss and a few others, Garrett has a chance to become a legend with two separate franchises.

Burning question: Are the Rams relying too much on Puka Nacua and Davante Adams?

Puka Nacua might be the best receiver in the NFL, and Davante Adams still is a productive player particularly near the end zone. They were tremendous last season, combining for 189 catches, 2,504 yards and 24 touchdowns. There's no problem with them. Behind them, there's concern. No other Rams receiver posted more than 18 catches and 303 yards.

If something happens to Adams (who will turn 34 years old this season) or Nacua, names like Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield step into huge roles for a Super Bowl favorite. It's a reason why the Ty Simpson draft pick was questioned when Makai Lemon and others were on the board. The Rams are leading the trend of teams relying on multiple tight ends, but the drop from Nacua and Adams to whoever is next on the depth chart at wideout is as steep as any in the NFL.

There's also question about Nacua, whose playing style has led to injuries. His off-field activities have made headlines too. Nacua voluntarily entered a holistic care facility after a series of allegations against him. Getting treatment should be a benefit; Brett Favre entered a rehab facility for an addiction to Vicodin in 1996 and that season he won NFL MVP and a Super Bowl. Nacua is one of the NFL's most talented players and he said the treatment improved his life. Even if that's the case, the Rams are still dangerously fragile at wideout.

Best-case scenario

It's not out of the question that the Rams could lead the NFL in points scored and points allowed. They have the MVP at quarterback and the Defensive Player of the Year to help that side of the ball. Puka Nacua could be the best skill position player in the NFL this season.

The Rams have fixed their cornerback issue, which was the only real weakness on the roster last season. It's not like a 17-0 season is realistic because the Rams' schedule and division is far too tough for that, but they also might not be too far off of that if they catch some injury luck, and Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams stay at their normal level.

There are a lot of teams to like coming into the season, but it's also possible the Rams distance themselves from the pack and cruise to a Super Bowl title. This team is absolutely loaded.

Nightmare scenario

Let's repeat something from the Seahawks' preview: It's rare for the two best teams in the NFL to reside in the same division. Seattle was dominant last season, and just because L.A. made moves to pass the Seahawks by, it doesn't mean that will happen. It's not like there aren't questions on the Rams' roster. Matthew Stafford is at an age in which decline can happen suddenly, there is no proven receiver depth outside of the Rams' stellar top two, and the special teams let the Rams down in some huge spots last season and might not improve that much.

The Rams made a clear and indisputable statement that it's Super Bowl or bust this season. Losing in the NFC championship game would be considered a failure, which is a lot of pressure. What about the very real possibility of this Rams team not even winning its own division?

The crystal ball says

If you are in the practice of picking which team will win the Super Bowl before the season kicks off, either you're picking the Rams or you're trying to be a contrarian. There are logical arguments against the Rams winning it all — only four of the past 31 preseason Super Bowl favorites have gone on to win the championship, after all — but they're clearly the best team in the NFL heading into the season.

Matthew Stafford should still have at least one great season left. Puka Nacua is ready to win Offensive Player of the Year as long as he stays healthy. The defense will be much better with the cornerback situation fixed and Myles Garrett wrecking offensive lines, and it was already good last season. The NFL's best roster is coached by Sean McVay, who would be named by many as the league's best coach.

This will be a special season in Los Angeles. The Rams will win a Super Bowl, the second for McVay and Stafford. Then we can spend next offseason debating where the Rams rank among the all-time great teams, and wait for their next big trade.

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