Rams not good enough to overcome mistakes and other takeaways from loss to Packers
The Los Angeles Rams lost their second consecutive game on Sunday, falling to the Green Bay Packers 24-19. Much like the loss against the Chicago Bears, this was another frustrating one of the books. Here are ten takeaways from the loss to the Packers.
1. Rams don’t have a pass catcher that can win in the red zone
Sunday afternoon followed a similar trend that has been the case since Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua went out. The Rams do not have a wide receiver that can win in the red zone or be successful in tight areas. Rams pass catchers not named Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have combined for four catches on 17 targets in the red zone. Inside the 10, that drops to one catch on nine targets. Demarcus Robinson’s touchdown against the Packers was the first for a Rams wide receiver not named Kupp or Nacua this season.
The Rams offense is very limited in the red zone and a lot of that is because they don’t have pass catchers that can win in that area. It’s true that the Rams need to run more, and they did against the Packers. However, whether it’s only throwing or only running, the offense becomes one-dimensional and predictable. That’s currently where the Rams offense is at right now. For being 6’7, Colby Parkinson has one red zone reception on six targets. The Rams simply don’t have the receivers with the route running ability or use their size to win in tight areas.
2. McVay’s call to go for it was the right one
It’s easy to say after the fact that the Rams should have just kicked the field goal. However, ESPN Analytics gave the decision a +2.5 percent win percentage increase to go for it and Ben Baldwin’s model gave it a +1.4 percent win percentage increase to go for it. The decision to go for it needs to be evaluated in a vacuum separate of the result and the decision itself was the correct one.
Can’t look at the result and say “McVay should have kicked.”
The coaching decision to go for it at the 4-yard line was the right call. Nobody complains about it if they score. pic.twitter.com/ppHh3xEqtq
— Blaine Grisak (@bgrisakTST) October 7, 2024
There were potential issues with the play-call or even the effort from Parkinson to make the catch. However, the decision itself was correct. Had the Rams kicked, there’s also no guarantee that Joshua Karty makes it. Later in the game, the rookie kicker would miss an extra point. McVay coached to win the game, and that should be commended. The call also worked out. Defensively, the Rams got a three-and-out and gave the offense good field position. The next offensive drive resulted in a touchdown.
3. McVay did a good job mixing it up in run game
We got a Blake Corum sighting! McVay finally opted to use Blake Corum in the run game and it gave a glimpse of what the duo of him and Kyren Williams can look like. Corum had five carries for 25 yards while Williams eclipsed the 100 yard mark. The Rams also got TuTu Atwell involved on a jet sweep.
McVay did a good job mixing it up in the run game from a personnel standpoint. The Rams mixed it up with inside and outside runs. A big reason for the Rams being successful running the ball was because they kept the Green Bay defense on its heels. The Rams running five straight times in the red zone was also a pleasant sight.
4. Byron Young is showing positive strides in year two
Young may not be a dominant pass rusher, but he’s made positive strides this year. He’s done a nice job building off of what was a strong rookie season. Young had a really strong first half against the Packers that was capped off by the second year edge rusher having an impact pressure on Jordan Love that resulted in a pick-six.
The Rams defense needs to get into more third-and-long situations and build a lead. This is a group that if allowed to pin their ears back and focus on the quarterback, can ice games. The Rams seem to have a good edge duo in Young and Verse. When they both start to find success at the same time, they’re going to be scary.
5. Defense has to start playing 60-minutes
Whether it’s youth or coaching, the Rams defense is far too inconsistent. It is true that they played better on Sunday, but there were still far too many mistakes. Jordan Love found Jayden Reed in triple coverage 50-yards down the field to set up the Packers first touchdown. Poor tackling led to Tucker Kraft scoring on a long catch and run. Those types of plays need to be eliminated.
The defense played a very strong 25-minutes to start the game. Four of their first five possessions ended in a three-and-out. Jaylen McCollough’s pick-six was on third down on the third play of the drive. However, after the pick six it was as if the defense just lost focus. The next three Packers possessions went field goal, touchdown, touchdown. It was better, but like the offense, there are too many costly mistakes.
6. Rams not good enough to overcome timely mistakes
With that being said, this Rams team isn’t good enough to overcome those types of mistakes. Every team makes mistakes, but what separates the good teams from the bad ones is that the mistakes are limited and when they are made, they are able to overcome them.
A coaching blunder led to a ‘too many men on the field’ penalty, extending a Packers drive at the end of the half, resulting in a field goal. The Rams had a chance to take control in the second half before Kyren Williams fumbled. Matthew Stafford threw an interception on third down. Missed blitz pickups on the offensive line or holding onto the ball too long took the Rams out of field goal range or set them up for a 2nd-and-long with the game on the line. There are simply too many mistakes right now from both sides of the ball and the coaching staff.
7. Colby Parkinson needs to play to his size
It doesn’t help that the Rams aren’t getting a lot of production out of their free agents. One of those is notably tight end Colby Parkinson. Parkinson hasn’t shown up to this point that he can win with his size. He’s been targeted in the red zone six times and has one catch with no touchdowns. Not all of those are his fault, but it speaks to the lack of efficiency.
The Rams went to Parkinson on fourth down with the game on the line, and the best the tight end could do is give an outstretched arm. Without Higbee, the Rams need more from their tight ends and that starts with Parkinson.
8. Can’t keep going down by 10+ and expect to win
In all but one game this season, the Rams have trailed by 10 points entering the fourth quarter. Against the Bears, they were down by eight. The Rams can’t keep putting themselves in losing positions in crunch time and expect to win.
It’s great that the Rams found a way to come back and take the lead against the Lions or actually win against the 49ers. However, that’s not a sustainable way to win games. The Rams showed a lot of fight late when they could have folded. At the same time, they put themselves in that position to begin with. It’s simply not a winning brand of football.
9. In other news…The NFC West isn’t good
If there is a silver lining, it is that the NFC West doesn’t look very good at the moment. The Rams were a touchdown drive away from being 2-3 and one game out of the lead for the NFC West. On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals came back from 23-10 down to win 24-23 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seattle Seahawks had a surprising loss at home to the New York Giants.
Unlike in past years where more than five losses wasn’t good enough to win the division, that may not be the case this year. It’s possible that 10-7 can win the division. While it’s easy to say that there is a lot of season left or that the season is lost, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle. There is a lot of season left, but we need to be realistic about what this team is and right now that’s a 7-10 team at best.
10. It’s ‘look in the mirror’ time
That moves us to my last point here. Last season, the Rams sat at 3-6 heading into their bye week. It was at that moment that the Rams needed to look in the mirror and decide what direction they wanted to go. The Rams won seven of their final eight games to make the playoffs. This Rams team is in a similar spot at 1-4.
The Rams are 1-4 and are set to get healthier after the bye week. With that being said, the Rams can’t pretend like all of their problems will be solved once Kupp, Jackson, and Avila return. The underlying problem remains. Until defense finds consistency, absolute perfection will be expected from the offense. As we’ve seen the last two weeks, that’s not realistic or sustainable.
