The Los Angeles Rams can ill-afford another failure this early into the 2026 season. As the year starts to enter its midway point, a 2-4 start has the Rams looking from the outside in as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday. Addressing the roster's biggest weaknesses, here are three causes for concern entering this game, concerns that could lead to a third straight loss.
A plethora of injuries
This week, the team lost Poona Ford and Blake Grupe for the rest of the season, while Davante Adams and Kobie Turner went on injured reserve. Myles Garrett and Terrance Ferguson were able to come back yet, meaning the Rams will be down multiple starters, especially after Nate Landman was ruled out with a concussion.
Puka Nacua picked up a calf injury in practice that
has him questionable. Trent McDuffie has the same status because of a groin injury. He missed the whole week of practice, and his ability to play may be hampered, even if he can suit up.
If there were any time to judge the quality of the team's depth, it would be this week.
A history of issues
The Rams, under Sean McVay, have often struggled to defend against veteran quarterbacks, dual-tight end attacks, and the Shanahan offense. The Raiders have all three. Klint Kubiak is a former Shanahan assistant and has known the family his entire life. Their tight end combo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer is the league's best, with both men combining for 56 catches and over 600 receiving yards this season.
Their quarterback is Kirk Cousins, who spanked Los Angeles as a member of the Atlanta Falcons last season. What makes the Raiders dangerous is how they build their attacks off their tight ends, using their running backs and wide receivers to slash the field, leading to a variety of blown coverages by the defense.
Schematically, the Rams are in a world of trouble. This is a game in which they will have to use their physicality to eliminate attacks. Can they do it, and if so, for how long?
Where's the swagger?
Against the Arizona Cardinals, a team that had only one win, which was against the winless Los Angeles Chargers, the Rams looked lethargic. The offense was out of rhythm; the defense was decent but felt more like they were trying to lose slowly instead of pushing the tempo, and the special teams...their kicker tore his ACL because he tried to make a tackle after another blown kick coverage assignment.
They look bad. They have no identity. Could this be the game that changes all of that? Maybe, but we need to see if they can even throw a punch, something they failed to do last week.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' 3 biggest causes for concern vs. Raiders in Week 7
