Los Angeles Rams Kicker Wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Joshua Karty shined at Stanford, leading to him being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. And in what has been a dominant rookie season, Karty earns some of the highest praise that an NFL player can get.

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams kicker Joshua Karty (16) celebrates with teammates after scoring a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

What a season it has been for former Stanford kicker Joshua Karty. After 2023 saw the Los Angeles Rams struggle with consistency at the kicker position, the franchise made it a mission to find a long term solution. Luckily for them, they were able to find their solution in the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Karty in the sixth round.

Since winning the job out of training camp, he has put together a rookie season to remember, especially over the final stretch of the campaign, leading to him being named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December/January.

Having gone 29-for-34 on field goals (85.3%) and 32-for-36 on extra points (88.9%), Karty has been responsible for 119 of the Rams points this season, making him the first rookie kicker since Frank Corral in 1978 to surpass 100 points scored in a season for the Rams.

From the start of December up until the Rams' final game of the regular season on January 5, Karty did not miss a single field goal and scored double digit points twice; all 12 points in the 12-6 win over the 49ers on December 12, and 13 points in the Rams' 30-25 loss to the Cardinals in that final game. In total over the last six games, Karty scored 50 points and was key in helping the Rams win the NFC West and clinch a home game in the playoffs.

Karty's season is significant in many ways. One of which is signaling that after dealing with kicker struggles over the last couple of years, it appears that the Rams no longer have to worry about the position as long as Karty is around.

As a team, the Rams have scored 367 total points, with Karty ending the year as the scoring leader by a wide margin. With Karty having 119 points, the second-highest scorer for the Rams this season has been running back Kyren Williams, who has scored 96. However after that, there is a steep drop-off, with the third-highest scorer being wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who was responsible for 42 of the Rams' points.

In winning the award for the month, Karty joins Detroit Lions' running back Jahmyr Gibbs (NFC Offensive Player of the Month) and Seattle Seahawks' defensive lineman Leonard Williams (NFC Defensive Player of the Month) as the award recipients to end the regular season.

Karty is also the first and only Rams player to have any player of the month awards this year and is the first player on the team since Cooper Kupp in 2021 to have earned any sort of player of the month recognition.

With the Rams set to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night in the Wild Card round, Karty will get the chance to prove just how clutch he is, with the expectation being that he will be called upon in many big moments. With a Super Bowl title being the only thing on the minds of anyone in the Rams organization, Karty will be ready for whatever challenges that lie ahead.