Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams are still reeling from their heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers Thursday night. While the team has suffered two extremely tough defeats this season due to self-inflicted mistakes in games they were in position to win, there is some silver lining going forward as LA’s schedule seems to lend a relief of sorts in the coming weeks. It’s a schedule a team looking to get back on track could desperately use.
After three straight weeks of games against divisional leaders, the Rams will now head into a stretch where they play a Raven’s team likely without QB Lamar Jackson, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers and the Cardinals. They will also have a chance to play the Seattle Seahawks, who McVay holds an 11-5 record over since 2017, as well as a revenge game against the 49ers. Of the Rams’ five losses to Seattle since 2017, only one has been by more than six points and up until last night, LA held a three game winning-streak over San Francisco too, so they have had success against both division foes in the recent past.
Yes, over the next eight weeks the Rams will have those two rivalry games with the Seahawks and 49ers, as well as a November matchup against the NFC South leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but outside of those three games their opponents hold a record of 7-13. Furthermore, out of the Ravens, Jaguars, Saints, Panthers and Cardinals, only Jacksonville holds a winning record at the moment with the other four teams combining for a 4-12 record.
Now, it’s an “any given Sunday” type of league, meaning that records don’t matter too much if you don’t perform in the games you’re suppose to win. However, it never hurts to have a few lower pressure games that could potentially help a team get “tuned up” so to speak.
Los Angeles has directly lost two games due to two reasons, the first being their special teams blunders. Against some lower-end competition, the Rams need to find a better combination along the field goal unit’s interior offensive line, as the current group is being pushed around and driven backwards. Maybe that answer is the return of guard Steve Avila, maybe it’s bringing in someone else, but LA has had four blocked field goals in the last four games alone and it’s absolutely crucial they figure it out quick. Some teams don’t have that many in entire seasons.
“Oh man, I wish it was just one thing,” McVay said Friday. “When you watch the protection, we have to fix it. It’s not one thing in particular. There are different locations, spots and people that have not executed the way that we’re capable of. We’ve got to consistently use better techniques. I thought we had a hold on it. I thought we did a good job against Indianapolis. I thought we had...
