The Los Angeles Rams have played 86 regular-season games from Week 1 of 2021 through Week 1 of 2026. A lot of their success as a offense has been their ability to keep pressure on opposing defenses by moving the chains. Eventually, defenses bust their coverage and the Rams find their way in the end zone. Over the last 5 seasons, the Rams season-level third-down rates were:
- 2021: 44.6%
- 2022: 39.3%
- 2023: 41.7%
- 2024: 36.1%
- 2025: 37.1%
It’s no surprise that the Rams 2021 numbers were so strong as they parlayed that into a Super Bowl championship. The 2022 season
saw the team fall drastically because of injuries across the board. The 2023 Rams went from a slow start to strong finish. The 2024 team was remembered for being offensively sluggish. And the 2025 offense, while carried by MVP Matthew Stafford tried to limit its third down frequency by winning on first and second downs.
Last year, the Seattle Seahawks were 16th in the league in 3rd down conversion rate with 39.59%. For the sake of this analytical breakdown, I chose 40% as the measurement that the Rams need to be at to find their footing on offense in the 2026 season.
5 YEAR BREAKDOWN…
Rams overall record when they convert 40% or more on 3rd down: 30-13
Rams overall record when they convert 39% or less on 3rd down: 19-24
The Rams a significantly different team over the last 5 years when they win 3rd downs at a respectable clip. They are nearly a .700 winning team. On the flip side, when they don’t move the chains as well, they are inconsistent and a sub. 500 team.
2026 Rams when they convert 40% or more on 3rd down: ?
2026 Rams when they convert 39% or less on 3rd down: 0-1
2025 Rams when they convert 40% or more on third down: 7-3
2025 Rams when they convert 39% or less on third down: 5-2
2024 Rams when they convert 40% or more on third down: 6-3
2024 Rams when they convert 39% or less on third down: 4-4
2023 Rams when they convert 40% or more on third down: 5-3
2023 Rams when they convert 39% or less on third down: 5-4
2022 Rams when they convert 40% or more on third down: 3-2
2022 Rams when they convert 39% or less on third down: 2-10
2021 Rams when they convert 40% or more on third down: 9-2
2021 Rams when they convert 39% or less on third down: 3-3
SUPER BOWL SIGNIFICANCE
As the Rams move on from their 2026 season opener, a game in which they looked like a sub .500 team because of their sluggish performance on offense, they will need to find consistency winning on “money downs”. In these last 5 NFL seasons, the AFC and NFC representative each year both finished in the top half of the league for third down conversion percentage.
2021 – Los Angeles Rams (44.66 / 6th), Cincinnati Bengals (40.08% / 15th)
2022 – Philadelphia Eagles (47.58% / 3rd), Kansas City Chiefs (48.90% / 2nd)
2023 – San Francisco 49ers (47.49% / 4th), Kansas City Chiefs (43.32% / 6th)
2024 – Philadelphia Eagles (40.28% / 10th), Kansas City Chiefs (47.31% / 3rd)
2025 – Seattle Seahawks (39.59% / 16th), New England Patriots (40.63% / 13th)
As it stands right now, albeit a one game sample size, the Rams are 26th in the league (22.22%). If Los Angeles wants to see a Lombardi Trophy return home, they MUST find a way to be successful on third downs week-to-week.
