LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just when the Los Angeles Rams' offense appeared to be finding its stride, Matthew Stafford's group took an embarrassing pratfall in prime time.
It's too soon to know what that means for the Rams' playoff chances, but a big regression in an eminently winnable home game is not ideal for coach Sean McVay and his up-and-down team.
The Rams (4-5) have rarely done anything halfway during McVay's largely successful tenure, and their offensive missteps in a 23-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night were a dramatic downturn — particularly because they occurred after two impressive outings against Minnesota and Seattle.
“I do have belief in these guys,” McVay said. “We’re all in this thing together. We’ve got to be able to look at it and we’ve got to consistently figure out what’s the best way to put our guys in the right kinds of spots, and trying to be able to figure out some sort of semblance of an identity.”
The Rams’ month of momentum abruptly ended with the offense failing to reach the end zone for only the second time in four seasons with Stafford in uniform. Los Angeles’ offensive line didn’t look sharp, Stafford wasn't exceptionally accurate, Kyren Williams didn’t break any big runs, and no receivers could make a big play in the red zone.
It added up to five field goals by rookie Joshua Karty — actually six, but rookie Beaux Limmer's false start erased a 52-yard make that was followed by a 57-yard miss — and a night of frustration.
The Rams have dropped to 30th in the league in touchdown success rate in the red zone, scoring on just 46.9% of their trips. Stafford missed an open Williams on the most egregious red zone failure, but the Rams' season-long problems in that area reveal issues with both McVay's play-calling and Stafford's usually ample playmaking acumen.
“It was just negative plays at the wrong times," said Stafford, who went 32 of 46 for 293 yards while failing to throw a TD pass for the fourth time in nine games this season. "Whether it’s a turnover, a sack, an inefficient play on first down or whatever it was, we shot ourselves in the foot in that strike-zone area, 30-yard line-ish area. That was probably the difference in the game, and not coming up with touchdowns.”
The Rams were in prime position to pad their record over the next month with three games against struggling franchises, but they promptly blew their chance to beat the Dolphins, who had one win since Week 1. The Rams will face New England (3-7) and New Orleans (3-7) on the road in the next three weeks, and both games loom large for Los Angeles to have any chance at the postseason.
What's working
The Rams' young defensive front thrived in the Monday night spotlight: Nose tackle Kobie Turner had six tackles, four pressures and a sack, while star rookie Jared Verse had five tackles and forced a fumble that he recovered while sacking Tua Tagovailoa. The front has led the Rams' dramatic defensive improvement over the past four weeks.
What needs help
The Rams are down to 26th in the league with a measly 94.1 yards rushing per game. That's unacceptable for a team with a running back of Williams' caliber — along with promising rookie Blake Corum, who has only 80 yards on just 23 carries in nine games. The offensive line also deserves some blame for why the Rams are passing on roughly 60% of McVay's plays, ranking LA in the top quarter of the NFL.
Stock up
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom has looked like a weak link for most of the season, but he starred against the Dolphins with his second career interception and two pass breakups. Undrafted rookie Omar Speights also looked solid at inside linebacker, making eight tackles.
Stock down
The Rams signed Colby Parkinson from Seattle on a three-year, $22.5 million deal last spring, but he has been supplanted as Los Angeles' top tight end by Davis Allen, a fifth-round pick in 2023. Parkinson got just 11 snaps against Miami, while Allen was in for 56 snaps. Parkinson has 23 catches for 214 yards on 36 targets this season, and he had at least one glaring drop while his role declined in recent weeks.
Injuries
The Rams reported no new injuries after the game. Offensive linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson played every snap in their returns from long-term injury absences, but both still looked rusty. Joe Noteboom played right tackle in a return from long-term injury, and he appeared to struggle in Rob Havenstein's spot.
Key number
Demarcus Robinson had just one catch on five targets against the Dolphins after he caught two TD passes in each of the Rams' past two games. Tutu Atwell barely played and had just one catch. Stafford is right to rely heavily on Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but spreading the ball to his other two capable receivers seems smart.
Next steps
The Rams travel cross-country Sunday for what seems like a must-win game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, if Los Angeles hopes to stay in the thick of contention.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
