NFL

The 5 NFL Teams That Declined Most in 2016

Brandon Gdula  —  @gdula13 Feb 21st, 2017
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow

3. Los Angeles Rams

2015 nERD: -1.81
2016 nERD: -12.03
Change: -10.22

Uh oh. This seems like a trend. The Los Angeles Rams are the third team on this list from the NFC West. They graded out as the 16th-most efficient team in 2015 by nERD despite a -50 point differential.

That was solely because of a defense that ranked eighth overall, sixth in passing defense, and third in rushing defense. They fell to 16th, 18th, and 16th, respectively, in their return to Los Angeles in 2016.

Offensively, they finished 32nd overall yet again, but they averaged -0.12 expected points on a per-play basis after losing "only" 0.04 in 2015. Their rushing efficiency ranked 31st in 2016 after faring 18th in 2015.

The Rams, owners of the worst and third-worst nERD seasons (in 2009 and 2008, respectively) since 2000 finished with another bottom-15 mark in 2016.

Prev Next