Linebacker Troy Reeder - 2nd in total team and solo tackles through Week 2
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp - 4 catches for 37 yards before leaving with ankle injury vs Cards
That was no desert mirage in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday. The LA Rams took their second road hit of the season in as many games... in more ways than one. The team quickly finds itself in last place in the NFC West after being toasted by the Arizona Cardinals, 41-10, at State Farm Stadium. The Rams also lost the other half of their dynamic receiving duo, Cooper Kupp, due to an ankle injury.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Kupp is expected to miss "an extended period of time." The team lost wide receiver Puka Nacua in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions due to reaggravating the sprained PCL knee that sidelined him for three weeks of training camp. Nacua is the IR list and expected to miss 5-7 weeks. Kupp will also be out but with less expected down time.
What started as a promising season has been suddenly compromised due to a rash of injuries, especially to the offensive front line. The Arizona loss added a few more to the list. Along with Kupp' ankle injury, left guard Jonah Jackson reaggravated his shoulder and will miss extended time. The same script goes for John Johnson III who injured his shoulder as well. Now they have to deal with a determined Niners coming off a disappointing 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
"None of these are season-ending, but they are extended periods of time and every week is precious," said McVay. "I feel for those guys but we have to continue to persevere, be resilient, and do a great job of playing better football than what yesterday was."
The relief is that the Rams will be playing in the "comfort" of SoFi Stadium for their home opener this Sunday, September 22, 1:25 p.m. The pain point is that they are hosting enemy #1 in the San Francisco 49ers, a perennial Conference favorite and winners of the NFC West the past two seasons. The Rams had lost nine of the previous 10 games vs. the Niners before beating them in the last game of the 2023 season, 21-20.
"But it's about how do we put together a good week of preparation? How do we start to establish a rhythm and a rapport with the guys that are playing," asked McVay in preparation for the 49ers led by head coach Kyle Shanahan, who holds a 10-5 regular season lead in their head-to-head meetings. However, McVay (77-51, .602) does hold a slight lead over Shanahan (73-55, .570) in career winning percentage.
The 49ers have also been compromised due to injury. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey will not be available against the Rams. Samuel suffered a calf strain against the Vikings and will be out a couple of weeks. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga also missed the first two games and are listed as doubtful.
McCaffrey, 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, was placed on injured reserve due to Achilles tendinitis and calf tightness. He's expected to be out six-plus weeks. "Nobody knows," said Shanahan about McCaffrey. "We're dealing with tendinitis, so there's not one person knows. He doesn't know. We don't know."
Even though there are still 15 games remaining in the regular, the Rams are already in that "must win" situation with regards to making the NFL Playoffs. Since 1979, only six teams have reached the postseason after starting off with three straight losses. McVay: "We have to figure out how to adjust and adapt. That's kind of an ongoing process for us as we navigate in the midst of it right now."
Sunday's loss was only McVay's second in 14 games to the Cards. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray torched the Rams for three touchdown passes just minutes into the second quarter and the rout was on. Rams kicker Josh Karty kicked a 29-yard field goal to briefly stem the tide. But the game was virtually over when Cardinal running back James Conner scored on a 5-yard rush to increase the lead to 31-3 on the opening drive of the second half.
"I thought it was kind of a perfect storm of great execution by them, us being a little bit off on some of our communication," noted McVay. "Then they were able to get a bunch of different things going in the run game where they sustained possession and shortened the game. That was really why they controlled it from wire to wire."
The Rams offensive stats read: quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 216 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. However, he was sacked five times for 24 yards. Blake Corum led the team in rushing with eight carries for 28 yards. Kyren Williams added 25 yards and a 4-yard score late in the third quarter for the team's only touchdown of the game. Eight players combined for 19 catches with Demarcus Robinson leading with 50 yards total on two catches.
"I did think there were some positive takeaways with teams, but you have to be honest while acknowledging that every single week is its own entity," reflected McVay.
We've seen that in the first two weeks. Our guys know that. We can't allow three hours to define us, good or bad, and if you do then that's a mistake we can't afford to make and I don't believe we will."
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