Just when the Los Angeles Rams’ offense seemed to be hitting its stride, Matthew Stafford and his team suffered a disappointing defeat in a prime-time game.
It’s too early to tell what this loss means for the Rams’ playoff hopes, but a big drop in performance in a game they should have won is not a good sign for coach Sean McVay and his inconsistent team.
The Rams (4-5) have rarely had bad performances during McVay’s mostly successful time as coach, and their offensive struggles in a 23-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night were a big setback. This was especially surprising after two strong performances 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’ recent momentum came to a sudden stop, with the offense failing to score a touchdown for just the second time in four seasons with Stafford as the quarterback.
Los Angeles’ offensive line was ineffective, Stafford wasn’t as accurate as usual, Kyren Williams couldn’t break any big runs, and no receivers were able to make a significant play in the red zone.
This all led to five field goals by rookie Joshua Karty—six in total, but one was erased due to a false start penalty, leaving the Rams with another missed 57-yard attempt and a night of frustration.
The Rams are now ranked 30th in the NFL for touchdown efficiency in the red zone, scoring on just 46.9% of their trips. One of the worst red zone failures came when Stafford missed an open Williams.
This, along with their season-long red zone struggles, highlights issues with both McVay’s play-calling and Stafford’s usual ability to make big plays.
“It was just negative plays at the wrong times,” said Stafford, who completed 32 of 46 passes for 293 yards but failed to throw a touchdown 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 had the chance to improve their record over the next month with three games against struggling teams. However, they missed their opportunity against the Dolphins, who had only one win since Week 1.
Los Angeles will now face New England (3-7) and New Orleans (3-7) on the road in the next three weeks, and both games will be crucial for their playoff chances.
