After a Week 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals dropped the Los Angeles Rams to 2-4, safety Quentin Lake reminded teammates that the team has been in similar spots before. Three seasons ago, the Rams were 3-6 at their Week 10 bye, then won seven of their last eight games to finish 10-7 and earn the No. 6 seed. The following season, they were 1-4 at their Week 6 bye, lost only three games the rest of the way, won the NFC West and made a run as the No. 4 seed.
The Rams have a favorable stretch ahead before their Week 11 bye, with their next four opponents combining for six wins: the 3-3 Las Vegas Raiders, the 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers, the 1-4-1 Washington Commanders and the 2-4 Cardinals. Their past three games have each been decided on the final play. Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee said the team has been hurting ourselves, sometimes in critical moments, especially offensively.
Coach Sean Mc Vay said he is "not really sure" why self-inflicted mistakes such as penalties keep occurring, and he acknowledged the team looked undisciplined at times. The Rams must address this while missing key players. Nose tackle Poona Ford was lost for the season with a ruptured triceps, Kobie Turner is out for a handful of weeks with a groin strain, Davante Adams is expected to miss six to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, and kicker Blake Grupe is out for the season with a torn ACL. Defensive end Myles Garrett has also missed the past five games after knee surgery, and the team will not yet open his practice window.
Lake said there is no "sense of panic" in the building, but that there must be urgency in putting the team in position to win. The Rams entered the season as 5-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing