It was one thing when the Rams could explain away their losses to good teams with excuses. They lost to the 49ers in Melbourne to start the 2026 season, then to the Broncos in Denver in a close Week 3 game that turned on a pick-six, and then to the Bills at home on "Monday Night Football" in Week 5 when their special teams melted down again. Losing three games to three of the six best teams in the NFL was disappointing, but not alarming.
The alarms are now going off in Los Angeles. On Sunday, the Rams lost 18-16 at home to a 1-4 Cardinals team, a defeat that inspires soul searching. Turnovers and injuries did not decide the game, and while the Rams lost new kicker Blake Grupe to an early knee injury, special teams were not really to blame.
The Rams were the prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl after acquiring Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie and bringing Aaron Donald out of retirement. Now they sit at 2-4. To win the title, they would have to do something no NFL team has done before: post a losing record through six weeks and still win the conference in the Super Bowl era.
There is no single glaring problem, but there are real issues. Matthew Stafford, who was fourth in Total QBR a year ago, now ranks 14th through six games, and his EPA per dropback and passer rating have also slipped. The questions now are whether the Rams can fix these issues and get their title chase back on track.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing