St. Louis Rams offensive stats could use a boost; Would Randy Moss make a difference?

Football Outsiders released their DVOA data through week 8. As you might expect, the St. Louis Rams have much better numbers for their defense than they do their offense. Let's start with the offense.

Overall, the Rams have a -13.9 percent DVOA for their offense, ranked 28th in the league. Just eyeballing it, that seems about right. Think about it. Scoring touchdowns doesn't come easy for the Rams, but they have demonstrated an ability to get an average of 17 points per game, with the exception of the Detroit game, and control the ball. In fact, the offense's inability to move the ball and eat up the clock is largely at fault for the losses the Rams do have. 

Breaking it down further...

Rushing DVOA: -12.9 percent, 26th

Passing DVOA: -4.3 percent, 26th

The rushing total seems low given the strength of Steven Jackson's play this season. However, it makes more sense considered within the context of DVOA, which measures the success of those plays toward getting the yardage needed for a new set of downs or a score. 

If anything, I'm shocked that the passing game is performing as well as it is. Sam Bradford is working minor miracles with a group of bit part receivers. 

Another factor to consider is opponent adjustment. The Rams have not played an incredibly difficult schedule, and that's reflected in the stats you see here: good teams should perform well against bad opponents. 

Still, compare these numbers to last year:

Overall offense: -26.4 percent, 32nd

Rushing: -4.7 percent, 25th

Passing: -33.5 percent, 32nd

That's a huge improvement between the two seasons. The difference? A healthy offensive line and Sam Bradford. In fact, I would argue that the Rams are worse off at receiver this year compared to last, thanks to injuries. 

You know what I'm going to say here...another wide receiver, one who could add a dimension to the Rams passing attack, could potentially give the Rams offense a huge boost, helping them open the field and move the ball much easier.