The Los Angeles Rams’ choice to strengthen their roster for a championship push in 2021 has become a well-known story in the NFL.
General manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay made headlines by bringing in Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, and Odell Beckham Jr. for a serious title chase, leading to their Super Bowl win.
Critics warned that the Rams would eventually face consequences for their bold moves, but Snead and McVay believed the idea of being “all-in” was misunderstood. At that time, the Rams had enjoyed five consecutive winning seasons and felt their strategy could lead to regular playoff appearances and chances at the title.
Now, just under three years later, the Rams have a record of 16-24 and have lost their only playoff game since winning the championship. Currently, they sit at 1-4 heading into their bye week, tied for the worst record in the NFC alongside a struggling Carolina team.
It’s hard to say that the Rams’ current issues are solely due to their earlier choices. They’ve faced significant injury challenges, Aaron Donald’s retirement, the yearly departure of McVay’s coaching staff, and some bad luck.
What is clear is that the Rams are not performing like the well-oiled machine they were during McVay’s first few years as head coach.
They find themselves at a low point during their bye week, but there’s still a lot of season left, giving McVay many chances to rebuild his team into a competitive force.
“Before you can start winning games, you have to start learning how to not beat yourself,” McVay said after the Rams missed several opportunities in their 24-19 loss to Green Bay last Sunday.
Currently, no area of the Rams is performing well this season, except for special teams, which were the weakest link in the past two years.
On the offensive side, many of the Rams’ challenges seem to stem from injuries. They are missing Stafford’s top three targets: receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and tight end Tyler Higbee, along with starting center Jonah Jackson and starting left guard Steve Avila, which is affecting their rebuilt offensive line.
Even with another impressive season from Kyren Williams, the Rams are struggling in rushing offense, mainly because they keep falling behind in games and have to rely on passing.
They rank poorly in scoring, sitting at 24th place, largely due to their red-zone offense, which is 23rd in getting touchdowns. This is likely because key players like Kupp, Nacua, and Higbee are not available for Stafford.
Coach McVay expressed hope on Monday that Kupp might return from his ankle injury for the upcoming game against Las Vegas, but he often speaks vaguely about injuries. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Stafford is dealing with back pain after being hit too often behind his makeshift offensive line.
The Rams’ defensive issues are more serious, but there could still be some hope.
Under new defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who is a college friend of McVay and was a surprising choice to take over from Raheem Morris, Los Angeles has struggled. They are 29th in total defense, dead last in rushing defense, and 29th in points allowed, with opponents scoring at least 24 points in every game.
McVay and Snead haven’t clearly explained why they let go of Ernest Jones without getting anything in return, especially since his absence is felt. Smart offensive coordinators are taking advantage of his less experienced replacements each week.
The defensive line is not as strong without Donald, and the new secondary has been inconsistent; even new signing Tre’Davious White has already been benched.
However, the Rams have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL for the second year in a row, which includes some potential future stars like rookie edge rusher Jared Verse — their first first-round draft pick since 2016 — and second-year nose tackle Kobie Turner.
The remaining veterans and young players in Los Angeles need to work together if the Rams want to avoid another rough start to the season.
In the past, the Rams often began strong under McVay, with a combined record of 19-6 in the first five weeks of his first five seasons.
However, in the last three seasons, they have only managed a 5-10 record during those same weeks. Besides a strong run of 7-1 after last season’s bye week that helped them make the playoffs, the Rams have gone 9-22 since their Super Bowl victory.
No team has reached the playoffs after starting 1-4 since Washington did in 2020, but the Rams are not giving up on this season.
If Kupp and Nacua come back soon to strengthen the offense — and if the struggling defense starts improving with the help of its young players — McVay believes there’s still plenty of time to compete again.
“We’re a 1-4 football team, (but) three of those four losses come down to one-possession games,” McVay said. “This is where we’re at.
What we have to be able to do (in the bye week) is take a step back, and then we’ve got to really collectively figure out, based on the moving parts (and) some of the different things, what have we done well, and what can we do at a better clip.”
