The Rams’ scuffling offense is expected to get a boost Sunday against a division foe that Los Angeles has historically battled.
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday the team plans to call up wide receiver Van Jefferson from injured reserve to face the 49ers. Better yet, McVay believes the third-year wideout will be in full swing after missing most of training camp and LA’s first six games with a knee injury.
“I think he’s felt great this week,” McVay said of the team’s official transcript. “I think we will monitor the progress of the game. A lot of it is based on, ‘okay, can you have some continuity with some of your drives and do multiple games?’ But the goal is that he was in full swing. He did a great job this week. We were able to develop some depth in that space which I think will help to keep some of the other guys involved. But we expect a normal workload for Van having seen him over the past few years.”
After contributing 19 catches for 220 yards and one score in his rookie year, Jefferson broke out in 2021 with 802 yards and six touchdowns on 50 receptions. His increased performance coincided with the arrival of Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles’ rise to seventh place overall in the league in points scored, their highest performance since ending 2018 as the second-ranked offense.
This year, the Rams are 26th in standings and 29th in yards.
Jefferson’s absence isn’t the only reason for the precipitous drop in the Rams’ offensive efficiency this season. Stafford struggles to persistently connect to receivers outside of Cooper Kupp and ongoing play is almost non-existent. Los Angeles averages 70.5 yards per game, ahead of Tampa Bay (61.5).
Still, Jefferson steps back in the lineup numbers to give Stafford another trustworthy target.
“He’s a very special player,” Stafford said Wednesday in anticipation of Jefferson’s return. “I’ve experienced some of that over the past year with his ability to really be a full recipient. He had some great tracks on tape, there’s no question he was directed by a few people, but he’s a guy in my head who can do anything. It’s great to have guys like that. The more of these guys you can have, the better.”
It remains to be seen how the Rams will mix Jefferson with free-agent addition Allen Robinson, who has struggled to find a foothold but clinched his second TD of the season ahead of the Week 7 bye from LA. Regardless, Stafford is looking forward to the coverage nightmare caused by his top three receivers with deep route trees.
“The funny thing about this offense is that Cooper routes deep, Allen routes deep, Van routes deep,” Stafford said. “Everybody kind of does everything. Having another man out there of that talent and caliber will only make us better.”
Jefferson ran 80.2% of snaps for the Rams last season, behind Kupp (93.8%) and Robert Woods (92.3%) before Wood’s season-ending injury.
Time will tell if he hovers around that number on Sunday – and if his return to the field helps usher in a return to form for the offense.