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Matthew Stafford, Kevin Dotson break down Rams' stellar O-line play
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- Matthew Stafford, Kevin Dotson break down Rams' stellar O-line play
From an unbiased point of view, there really was no reason for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to have the best season of his career in 2025. The MVP winner was clearly the NFL's best quarterback and decision-maker, but he entered the season with a schedule that put him against the league's top defenses, while being 37 years old with a back issue that forced him to miss training camp and almost put him on injured reserve to start the season.
Despite those looming hurdles, Stafford was simply brilliant, leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. A primary reason is the players around him. While star receivers Davante Adams and Puka Nacua continue to dominate headlines, the Rams' offensive line has quietly been one of the league's best, which comes as a surprise due to how it was assembled.
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Recently, Stafford spoke on The Athletic Football Show about a variety of topics, with the quarterback praising his line's ability to pick up pressure, especially on blitzes.
"You can't do anything if you're not protected and you got to find ways to get those protections done," Stafford said. "There was a great play—a great job of communicating from our entire group up front—relaying a call out, getting a back out in Carolina.
"I hit Davante on my left on like an in-cut versus a crazy overload blitz that we did a great job using the cadence. We got it shown, we flipped over the whole [protection], slid the line, did the whole thing, and it takes everybody. You know, that's what you realize. You can't sit there and go, 'Man, Matthew, great throw.' I was like, 'Yeah, well, I was able to stand in there and throw it.'"
The Rams, despite their injury issues, were successful and succinct in their execution in 2025. Not only did they keep Stafford clean on his way to MVP, but they also helped the team register over 2,000 rushing yards, with Kyren Williams accomplishing his third 1,000-yard season.
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While most NFL offensive lines are built through the draft, especially with top draft picks, four out of the Rams' five starting linemen are either Day 3 picks or undrafted free agents. Steve Avila is the exception; he was a second-round selection.
The secret to their success isn't even a secret. It's dedication, communication, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. It's them buying into the lessons instilled by their coaches, led by Ryan Wendell . Before their dominant campaign last season, I spoke to star guard Kevin Dotson about the line.
Dotson, who was acquired via trade in a deal that became a complete steal for Los Angeles , had a massive career turnaround, going from being just a player in Pittsburgh to a pillar for the Rams.
He dove into how modern blitz packages have dictated modern offensive line play and the things Dotson and his teammates have to do to stay dominant.
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"We'll say it's more subtle because offensive line has always been about communication, so being able to communicate," explained Dotson. "More now, everybody has to know what's happening on the field. On the offensive line, back in the day, it was a little more center-interaction type thing, but now everybody has to know what could possibly happen, and I think it's just a little more advanced than it used to be back in those days."
Dotson, who was drafted in 2020, protected both Stafford and Ben Roethlisberger . He exposed himself to a lot of looks and pressures as those quarterbacks love to test the skies. Dotson dove into his perspective on how that advanced communication impacted the team's success.
"The more confidence you have in what you're doing, the more you can go 100%," stated Dotson. "So if I know for a fact I got to go to this linebacker, and we communicated the linebacker I'm going to. That's two forms of verification in my mind and outside to confirm what I think. Now I can run at this linebacker 100% with no hesitation in my mind. That hesitation is the thing that messes most teams up or messes most plays up. You hesitate on a play, and they don't; you lose. If we don't hesitate, everything runs smoothly. So you know, the more confirmation that you have, the easier the game is."
Looking back at what Stafford said one year later, everything Dotson said was proven correct. Simplicity in description is a gigantic task to execute. Without hesitation, the Rams' offensive line got the job done.
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It's also important to note that with increased communication and intelligence across the unit, the Rams have been able to churn out top linemen from a variety of sources over the Sean McVay era. Even when dealing with the NFL's best, the Rams have the knowledge, confidence, and preparation to isolate matchups in a way that plays to their strong suits, while being aligned in their overall protection plan.
They trust each other, they trust the operation, and even with less center interaction, starter Coleman Shelton remains the keystone to their production. Dotson called Shelton paramount in coordinating protections, and considering he's viewed as the QB2 for the offense, it's indisputable that the strength of the Rams comes from their talent in the trenches.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford, Kevin Dotson break down Rams' stellar O-line play
