The Los Angeles Rams have had a rough two weeks. Within the last 11 days, the Rams lost the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the NFC West, and potentially a top-10 pick. Coming off of a disappointing loss in Week 16 to the Seattle Seahawks, there was a lot of anticipation on how the Rams would respond. They responded by going down 21-0 to a 6-9 Atlanta Falcons team in primetime. While their comeback effort fell short, it adds to a string of disappointing losses. Here are this week’s 10 takeaways.
1. Rams came out flat
Following a loss
to the Seattle Seahawks in which the Rams blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead, it was always going to be about how this team responded. When the Rams blew a lead earlier in the season to the Philadelphia Eagles, they bounced back with an impressive win against what was a good Indianapolis Colts team. This time around, the Rams went down 21-0 to the third-best team in the worst division in football.
Offensively, the Rams couldn’t get any rhythm going. This is an offensive line that has dominated in the trenches at times. Without their starting right guard and left tackle, that wasn’t the case. The Rams couldn’t run the ball like they have in recent weeks which led to playing a dropback offense against a good pass rush. They simply lacked urgency in a game where they should have come out ready to make a statement.
2. Matthew Stafford not good enough
If the Rams losing the NFC West wasn’t enough to lose Matthew Stafford the MVP, his performance on Monday Night certainly was. Stafford threw three interceptions in primetime, including a pick-six. He nearly threw a second pick-six that was overturned because the defender only just stepped out of bounds. That came one play after fumbling a snap that was overturned because of a penalty. Looking to get points before the half and at midfield, Stafford threw into double coverage on a deep shot to Xavier Smith. On the next play, the defense gave up a 93-yard touchdown run to Bijan Robinson.
Stafford’s mistakes hurt an offense that needed the Rams quarterback to be at his best on Monday Night. Outside of the turnovers, he was simply off on too many throws. A big reason why the Rams were 9-2 heading into Week 11 was because of Stafford. He now has multiple interceptions in two of his last five games. If the Rams are going to go anywhere in January, they need him to be better.
3. McVay too aggressive with hurt offensive line
Sean McVay has evolved this season when it comes to his fourth down decision-making. The Rams have gone for it on fourth down the tenth-most in the league with 29 attempts. Their 65.5 percent conversion rate is the fifth-best in the NFL. However, going for it on fourth-and-short twice without 40 percent of the starting offensive line may not have been the smartest decision. There is a time and place for those decisions and Monday Night may not have been the time or the place.
The Rams went for it on 4th-and-1 from inside the red zone early in the game. DJ Humphries whiffed his block and Kyren Williams was blown up in the backfield. Later in the game, the Rams had a 4th-and-2 at the 27-yard line and Stafford was intercepted. This was a game in which ‘taking the point’ may have been the better decision. The Rams ended up losing by three points. Had McVay kicked the field goals, the Rams may have won the game or at least gone to overtime.
4. Never question Alaric Jackson’s contract
The value of Alaric Jackson on this Rams offense was evident against the Falcons. Simply put, DJ Humphries was not good enough in this game. Prior to the Rams punting from the Falcons 41-yard line, Stafford hit Nacua for 36 yards down the sideline. However, Humphries had too much depth in his stance and got called for an illegal formation penalty. It’s a mistake that a veteran tackle shouldn’t make. Later in the game, Stafford hit Nacua in the end zone for a touchdown that was taken away due to a holding penalty on Humphries. That also doesn’t account for the whiffed block on 4th-and-1 in the first quarter.
Humphries was consistently the weak link on the offensive line. The Rams activated AJ Arcuri on Monday Night and it’s worth wondering if he would have been better. More is expected from a veteran depth piece. Jackson is arguably the most important player on the offensive line, especially considering the lack of the depth behind him.
5. What happened to the run defense?
Going into the offseason, the Rams made it a point to stop the explosive runs. After how they were gashed against the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, the Rams weren’t going to let it happen again. Well, in back-to-back weeks they have allowed two back-breaking, 50+ yard runs. Against the Seahawks, the Rams gave up a 55-yard run to Kenneth Walker. On Monday Night, it was a 93-yard run to Bijan Robinson. Instead of going into the half trailing 14-0, that turned it into a three-score game.
The second and third level defenders simply haven’t been good enough. The Rams gave up 100 yards to Walker and then 195 yards to Robinson. Needing a stop late in the game, Kirk Cousins completed one pass on the final drive that went for 11 yards. A 10-yard run on 3rd-and-1 put the Falcons in field goal range. The Falcons needed 30 yards on the final drive and picked up 21 of it all on the ground. It simply needs to be better.
6. Ben Kotwica makes special teams impact
Following the loss to the Seahawks, the Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. In Ben Kotwica’s first game since being promoted from assistant special teams coordinator, the Rams looked much better in that department. It’s worth noting that the Falcons special teams have struggled this year, but it was nice to see the Rams special teams unit have a positive impact.
The change was immediately noticed on the opening kickoff. Instead of giving up the 35-yard line on kickoffs with a touchback, only one of Ethan Evans’ kickoffs reached the end zone. Unfortunately, it was the last one, giving the Falcons a short field. However, the Falcons had an average starting field position of the 28.2-yard line following kickoffs. Evans also had a punt downed inside the five and Jared Verse blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown. There were a lot of positives from the special teams unit.
7. Wide receiver depth is lacking
At this point, it’s more than worth wondering why the Rams brought back Tutu Atwell for $10 million. It’s hard to justify why he’s not playing over Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield or why his lone target came in the final 30 seconds of the game. On two separate occasions, Mumpfield ran his route short of the sticks on third down. Smith had four receptions for 67 yards, but too often he and Stafford aren’t on the same page on deep targets. On the final drive, Stafford missed Smith expecting him to come towards the sideline instead of taking his route upfield. A completion would have put the Rams in field goal range.
Stafford was intercepted twice targeting Mumpfield and Smith deep down the field while Atwell was on the sideline. Smith and Mumpfield are fine as WR4 or WR5 players. They should not be the second option in the offense. If Puka Nacua is taken away as he was on Monday Night, it’s hard to expect either of those players to step up. The Rams went to Atwell too late in the game and it arguably cost them.
8. Do Rams lack an ability to finish?
The story of the season seems to be this team’s inability to finish games. In games that they’ve lost, that has been a common theme. Despite fighting back to tie the game at 24, the defense couldn’t get a stop at the end to give the offense another chance or force overtime. That came one week after not being able to finish the job against the Seahawks. In losses to the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, the Rams failed to finish late in the fourth quarter.
This is a Rams team that is now 0-4 in one-score games on the road and have lost three of their last four road games. As a wild card team, they will have to win and finish games on the road. It’s not something that they’ve been able to do this season. When things get tight in the fourth quarter, this is a team that too often has made the losing mistake rather than the game-winning play.
9. Too little, too late
It’s hard to expect to go down 21-0, turn the ball over three times, and expect to win. The Rams didn’t score their first points until the opening drive of the third quarter. While it’s commendable that the Rams fought back to tie the game, they should have never been in that situation. This is a game that even down two offensive linemen, the Rams should have won handily. The Falcons were handed seven points by Stafford and 14 of their 27 points came off of turnovers. The defense only gave up six second half points, and allowed 3.4 yards per play in the fourth quarter. However, they still allowed the final drive at the end of the game.
There are no moral victories with this one as it’s a game that the Rams had no business losing to begin with. It’s one thing to come back from 21 and end up short against a good team. The Falcons are not that. Simply put, the Rams showed up too late in this game and it cost them. If they end up as the six seed and travel to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
10. What is this team going to be?
This season has been a near mirror image of 2023 and 2024. During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, injuries early in the season hampered the roster which led to slow starts. Once the Rams got healthy, they were playing their best football at the end of the year. This season, the Rams started 9-2 and hadn’t suffered many key injuries. Since then, the Rams are 2-3 and are limping into the playoffs. Injuries to key starters in Davante Adams, Kevin Dotson, Quentin Lake, and Alaric Jackson have certainly had an impact. While they need to get healthy, it’s hard to justify resting starters next week when they haven’t played well in almost a month.
At 11-5 and coming off of back-to-back losses, this team needs to figure out what it’s going to be. How is this team going to respond? Coming off of the heartbreaking loss to the Seahawks, it seems like that result had maybe broken the mentality this roster. Does this team still believe they are one of the best in the NFL? At this point, it’s hard to see the Rams doing anything meaningful once the playoffs start. They seem to lack the mental toughness and character that most McVay teams have had this late in the season. Is this team going to be a championship contender or a one-and-done disappointment? Either route is firmly in their control.
