NFL: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
NFL: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
An unforgiving opening schedule and injuries to major stars have complicated Los Angeles’ Super Bowl plans. At 2-3, the Rams still have a realistic playoff path — and some serious problems to fix.
The Los Angeles Rams were supposed to make opposing quarterbacks miserable. Instead, they are making their own fans nervous.
Five games into a season carrying Super Bowl ambitions, Los Angeles is 2-3. Monday night’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills delivered another reminder that assembling championship talent and playing championship football are separate accomplishments.
But declaring the Rams finished would be an overreaction.
They have navigated a demanding opening schedule while repeatedly adjusting to the absence of important players. They have beaten Philadelphia on the road and pushed Buffalo into overtime. Their last two losses were decided by a combined seven points.
The Rams haven’t earned the benefit of every doubt. They have earned more time before anyone writes their obituary.
Before judging the record, look at the schedule
Los Angeles opened with a 27-7 loss to San Francisco in Melbourne, Australia. After returning home to beat the Giants 28-6, the Rams played consecutive road games at Denver and Philadelphia before hosting Buffalo.
That is an unusually taxing introduction to a season: an international opener against a division rival, a trip to Denver’s altitude, another road assignment in Philadelphia and a meeting with Josh Allen.
The Giants game offered relief on the scoreboard. The surrounding assignments offered very little.
Los Angeles lost 30-26 at Denver, won 24-20 at Philadelphia and fell three points short against Buffalo in overtime. Those results show a team capable of competing in difficult circumstances, even if its execution has fallen short.
The injury context matters just as much.
Puka Nacua missed two games before returning against Philadelphia. Aaron Donald has dealt with back trouble, Jaylen Watson with a shoulder injury and Colby Parkinson with shoulder and knee issues. Kamren Kinchens also missed time, while Terrance Ferguson landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Then there is Myles Garrett, whose recovery from knee surgery has deprived the defense of a centerpiece. According to Reuters’ pregame reporting, Sean McVay said Garrett was progressing but was unlikely to have his practice window opened this week.
The anticipated version of this roster has barely had an opportunity to function together. That helps explain the start. It does not excuse everything about it.
Five reasons for optimism
1. Matthew Stafford can still carry the offense
The most encouraging takeaway Monday was the quarterback.
Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns against Buffalo. Whatever else is malfunctioning, Los Angeles still has a quarterback capable of producing against a dangerous opponent.
That keeps the Rams competitive while the rest of the team works through its problems. A slow start becomes much harder to overcome when the quarterback is one of those problems.
2. Puka Nacua’s return changes the offense
Nacua caught a career-high 17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown Monday. Davante Adams added two touchdown receptions.
That combination gives McVay options that were unavailable while Nacua was sidelined. Defenses must account for a receiver who can sustain possessions and another who can punish them near the goal line.
The offense’s ceiling looks considerably higher with both available. Monday offered evidence of that ceiling, even in defeat.
3. The health situation has room to improve
There is a meaningful difference between a roster lacking talent and one waiting for talent to return.
Donald, Watson and Parkinson were cleared to return against Buffalo, while Garrett and Ferguson remained on injured reserve.
Improved availability offers a plausible route to better football. Getting Garrett back eventually could change how opponents protect their quarterbacks and how aggressively Los Angeles can defend the passing game.
That possibility warrants optimism, provided it remains a possibility rather than an assumed cure.
4. They have already demonstrated some resilience
The Rams won in Philadelphia while missing significant contributors. Against Buffalo, they answered a late touchdown with a game-tying drive, capped by Kyren Williams’ scoring run with five seconds remaining.
That matters. Los Angeles has continued to respond when games threaten to slip away.
A team with this offensive talent and that willingness to fight remains dangerous. The next step is turning those responses into victories.
5. The wild-card race remains within reach
San Francisco has created separation in the division. The rest of the playoff picture is much less intimidating.
The standings show Seattle, Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago at 3-2. Los Angeles sits one game behind that group with 12 games remaining.
An 8-4 finish would produce a 10-7 record. Going 9-3 would mean 11-6. Neither guarantees qualification, but both are credible playoff targets.
The Rams have work to do. They do not need a miracle.
Five reasons their Super Bowl ambitions could fall apart
1. The defense cannot keep losing control of games
The Rams surrendered 30 points to Denver and 37 to Buffalo.
More troubling than Monday’s total was how Buffalo generated offense. Allen rushed for 121 yards, and James Cook added 111.
Garrett’s absence matters, but containing the run and maintaining discipline against a mobile quarterback require more than one star pass rusher.
If Los Angeles needs Stafford to win a shootout every week, its championship ambitions will remain fragile.
2. Special teams can erase everything the offense accomplishes
Monday’s decisive failure came after the Rams had created an opportunity to win.
Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard field-goal attempt in overtime was blocked. Buffalo subsequently kicked the winner.
That is a brutal way to squander a strong offensive performance.
Close games are inevitable in a playoff chase. Los Angeles cannot repeatedly allow its kicking operation to become the reason those games go the other way.
3. Getting healthy is a hope, not a timetable
The optimistic injury argument has a weakness: availability can improve slowly, unevenly or temporarily.
Garrett’s return remains uncertain. Donald has already needed time away because of his back. Nacua’s importance makes every future injury concern consequential.
McVay’s reluctance to open Garrett’s practice window immediately, as reported by NBC Sports, underscores that uncertainty.
The Rams need a plan that works with the players available now.
4. San Francisco is making the postseason route harder
The 49ers are 5-0. The Rams are three games behind and have already lost the first head-to-head meeting.
Their remaining matchup is Dec. 13 at San Francisco. And, of course, Seattle, the reigning Super Bowl champion, also stands between the Rams and 49ers.
Winning the NFC West is still mathematically possible, but Los Angeles needs both a substantial improvement and help from the 49ers’ and Seahawks’ opponents. A wild-card berth could leave the Rams facing a road-heavy postseason.
Reaching January and reaching the Super Bowl are different challenges. The slow start is making the second one more difficult.
5. The remaining schedule still demands urgency
There are opportunities ahead, beginning with Arizona on Sunday. There are also major obstacles.
The remaining schedule includes Green Bay, Kansas City, a trip to San Francisco and two meetings with Seattle.
Los Angeles cannot spend another month explaining why its record understates its talent. At some point, the talent has to produce wins.
Every avoidable loss increases the pressure on the next difficult assignment.
The Rams are not who we thought they were through five games. They have been less reliable, less healthy and less complete than their Super Bowl ambitions demand.
But the evidence still supports patience. The offense can threaten good teams, the roster can improve and the wild-card field remains close.
Panic is premature. Urgency is overdue.