Ram wide receiver Tutu Atwell gets ready to catch a pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford against the Green Bay Packers on October 6 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Rams running back Kyren Williams tries to run past two Green Bay Packer defenders during a game at SoFi Stadium this month.
Three games in the next few weeks have become key to the Rams 2024 season. Despite starting the season with one win in five games the future offers hope following Bye Week for the Los Angeles Rams. They host two games respectively at SoFi Stadium: Sunday, October 20, against the Las Vegas Raiders, and Thursday, October 24 they face the Minnesota Vikings before hitting the road in week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams (1-4) gained ground while resting in Week 6 against the rest of the NFC West with the Seahawks (3-3) losing to the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) and the Arizona Cardinals (2-4) losing to the Green Bay Packers. The result: with 12 games remaining in the NFL regular season the Rams are only one game behind in the NFC West lost column, including a loss to the Cardinals in week 2 and a win over the 49ers in week 3.
"The bye did come at a good time for us where had a chance to reflect, get recharged, get refreshed, get rejuvenated in a lot of instances where we say, 'Let's look at this film, let's take a step back, let's give our guys a vision of how we're going to move forward," said Rams head coach Sean McVay on Monday.
A solid 6.5-point favorite against the fast-reeling Raiders (2-4), the Rams are already in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive. But it has been a very active past few days for the Raiders on the field and off. All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams was traded to the New York Jets for a 2025 conditional third-round pick, and on Tuesday the NFL owners approved a 5% ownership stake in the Las Vegas franchise for 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
Last week Aiden O'Connell was named starting quarterback for the Raiders, replacing an ineffective Gardner Minshew. They were still blown out at home by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-16. Head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy have offered very few solutions to the team's struggling offense.
The Rams are faring only slightly better with the ball, averaging 18.8 points per game compared to 18.1 for the Las Vegas. Both teams have been playing without their top receivers, but under completely different circumstances. Rams' receiver Cooper Kupp is very close to returning to action after rehabbing an ankle injury since Week 1. With the Thursday Night Football game looming, it might be prudent and show patience with Kupp's return.
McVay had this to say about Kupp. "We do want to be smart with that. Is there a possibility of weighing in the short turnaround with a Thursday game? Ultimately, it's about when he is ready to go and be the guy that that we've been accustomed to seeing.
"But even talking with him earlier today, he's feeling good, he's feeling optimistic, but he's also very aware of what that looks like to be ready to roll... It's more about, alright, where is his ankle? Is it ready to go? And is he ready to be the Cooper Kupp that we're accustomed to seeing?"
While he was with the Raiders, Adams requested a trade on September 30, following a 20-16 win against the Cleveland Browns the day before. He did not play in the game due to a hamstring injury incurred during that week's training. The Raiders top wide receivers last week were Brock Bowers (9 catches, 71 yards), DJ Turner (2 catches, 37 yards), and Alex Bachman (3 catches, 31 yards).
Raider Nation is expected to fill up the seats at SoFi on Sunday as they did in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They were a non-factor in losing that game, 22-10, with the Chargers dominating the fourth quarter. Even with all the problems in Raider Nation, somehow, they are 2-4, with an unlikely win at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.
In Las Vegas' last four games they have been blown out by the lowly Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rams have won the last three meetings between the two teams, including a 17-16 win at SoFi Stadium in December 2022. The Raiders lead the all-time series with eight wins and seven losses. However, their last win against the Rams was over 14 years ago in September 2010 when the team was located in Oakland.
All three upcoming games are critical for the Rams to right the ship for their playoff hopes. If they can't beat the Raiders, their season is over. The undefeated 5-0 Vikings will be entering Thursday's game four days after playing against NFC North rival Detroit Lions in the obvious NFL Game of the Week.
On November 3, the Rams take on the Seahawks who have suddenly lost their last three games after starting the season with three wins. A 4-4 record after Week 9 would do wonders for the 2024 Rams. Currently the team has only the 14th best odds out of 16 NFC teams to make the NFL Playoffs. Their Vegas odds for making the playoffs are +750 and are listed at 0.7% chance to win the Super Bowl, or +15000.
"We had opportunities where there are moments to be able to execute, to come out with different results in three of our four losses," said McVay. "Ultimately, this league is about margins.
"I got the right sense from our players that we got a lot of guys that are mentally wired the right way to go attack an opportunity to respond and know that the season doesn't end after five games."
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