The Los Angeles Rams 1-4 start absolutely sucks and it is certainly antithetical to the good vibes everyone was feeling not that long ago. A big reason for their struggles comes down to injury with Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Steve Avila, Darious Williams, Rob Havenstein, Jonah Jackson, and John Johnson missing chunks of time. Alaric Jackson‘s own idiocy cost him the first two games and Bobby Brown III missed time due to (Wait. He’s been healthy all along. Never mind. Honest mistake).
It’s not just injuries that are to blame, however, as the Rams also are in the hole they’re in because of errors in execution and communication, especially on defense. The Rams’ young defense is struggling to avoid costly penalties and is prone to getting beaten deep.
The Rams’ Season Has Gone Horribly Wrong, Can They Salvage It?
Teams can run on them too because they foolishly traded Ernest Jones and anytime Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder are your starting linebackers bad things are destined to happen. Their rookies while promising, are still learning how to finish plays.
Offensively, Sean McVay hasn’t entirely been in his bag this season, especially in the red zone. The frustrating thing is that despite all of these difficulties both self-made and not, the Rams COULD easily be 2-2, 3-2, or even 4-1.
Arizona was the one game where everything went to hell and it was over before it could start. Every other loss has been by one score, often coming down to one or two plays. The vibes are not what they were and instead, the discourse has devolved into what it’s devolved into since the “November Swoon of 2021,” IT’S OVER BURN IT ALL DOWN FOR THE PICKS AND INSURANCE MONEY, FIRE LES, FIRE MCVAY!
Yep, that’s right there are already stories debating whether the Rams should trade Matthew Stafford to the Giants for a 2nd, a 5th, and a linebacker. Maybe they should trade Kupp to Pittsburgh for a third and a player?
Nah, first of all, these trades are the kind that insult fellow members of one’s fantasy league, second it’s premature to bail on the season just because it’ll take away all the bad vibes. The counter to that might be that to make like Dana Carvey’s George Bush and “STAY THE COURSE” is an act of huffing hopium Frank Booth style rather than admitting the truth that the Stafford window couldn’t be more shut if it were a condemned Arby’s.
So soldier on or scream SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT IT SHUT IT DOWN like Chuck D?
The Case To Not To Blow It Up
The answer is to soldier on because things can and will get better provided the Rams actually take their soul searching seriously. McVay has in the past and there’s no reason why he can’t again.
It might seem logical to look at a 1-4 start and see no hope on the horizon that doesn’t come in the form of picks, cap relief, and a long-term rebuild project is hung on good bones. Not to be all “old man yells at cloud” but that mentality comes from a generation of fans and wannabe scouts/GMs who’ve had their brains pickled by Madden. They might come back with, “Actually the hard thing is to let go of this era and embrace the suck.” But again, that mentality assumes that pessimism is the true mark of intelligence when in actuality it’s its own form of copium by way of huffing hopium.
It’s easy to call for all of Earth to be scorched! That way, it doesn’t matter if the Rams lose because at least there will be a first-round pick, and if that also means they trade away fan favorites for extra picks so be it. It allows for a sense of control too because then it’s all imagination and make-believe. Those hours of one-handedly watching hours and hours of YouTube clips of offensive tackles or corners and then tweeting their selection into existence makes one feel smarter and more in control of turning the teams’ fate around.
All of that’s understandable and honestly, there are worse ways to spend time (although going outside to touch grass or finding another form of entertainment couldn’t hurt).
Sean McVay is a flawed coach and Les Snead is a flawed GM but the thing about their partnership is that when they get punched in the face and counted out, they always find a way to rebound. 2022 was of course a soul-shattering nadir that wrought the consequences of “F— DEM PICKS!” but it also taught them valuable lessons that took less than a year to learn.
Snead drafted well and McVay reconfigured his approach. These allowed them to rebuild while contending and lest it be forgotten they also started off looking rough last year and rallied to make the playoffs.
The question is, how do they do it again when they might as well be in the bottom of Pit from “The Dark Knight Rises”?
It Isn’t As Dramatic As It Seems
A lot of these fixes don’t seem as dramatic as throwing Shula out on his ass, making a dramatic trade or two, or cutting someone. The Rams don’t actually need to do that in order to improve. They’ve largely beaten themselves in the first six games of the year and all they really need to do is execute and not do dumb things.
The Rams’ next stretch of games is winnable. They play the Raiders who are (um) in flux, the Vikings will be coming off what should be a tough game against the Lions on a short week, and then they get 10 days to prepare for Seattle who are flawed. Then a Monday game against a Dolphins team that with or without Tua has struggled as Mike McD goes through more vape cartridges than play calls. After that, they have the Patriots who are breaking Drake Maye in.
That stretch can be conquered and then the Rams at best could be 6-4 heading into a game against Buffalo.
Look, this all sounds like wishful thinking and as everyone knows optimism and hope are CRINGE but it’s true. The Rams aren’t an irredeemable disaster just like last year they’re a young team being asked to play like a veteran team. McVay can get it out of them it just takes time and mental toughness. Here’s hoping it all starts to come together against Vegas.