Rams 1-4 before bye; how you can change it

LOS ANGELES – As Sean McVay stood at the podium after the Los Angeles Rams' 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers, he said, “This hurts.”

The Rams head coach said he felt the team had “a lot of options” to avoid falling to 1-4 this season and that “there were definitely enough things we didn't do, to be able to win the game.”

Now, with the Rams heading into their bye in Week 6, McVay said Los Angeles needs to be able to take a step back and figure out if they can “close out games and play consistently throughout.”

“Look at this, we’re a 1-4 football team (and) three of those four losses have come on a single possession,” McVay said.

But despite starting 1-4 for the first time under McVay, who was hired in 2017, the message in the locker room took a more positive turn:

“They're things that can be fixed very easily, but they're things that we keep saying … can be easily fixed and we haven't done it yet,” rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse said.

Even though the Rams have been in last place in the NFC West for five games, Verse said it still feels like it's time to turn the season around and make the playoffs.

“This isn’t college or anything like that where it’s a short season, you only get 12 games or something like that,” Verse said. “It's a long season. You have a lot of time to change something. But I think it has to start now.”

“It should have started some time ago, but now it has to be a really big focus.”

Can the Rams turn things around and make the playoffs? Here's a closer look:

Key players must return from injuries

The Rams were hit hard by injuries in the first two weeks of the season: wide receiver Puka Nacua (PCL sprain), guard Steve Avila (MCL sprain) and tackle Joe Noteboom (high ankle sprain) in Week 1 and then wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle sprain), guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and safety John Johnson III (shoulder) in Week 2.

The Rams won't get the entire group back right after the bye, but McVay said Monday that Los Angeles is confident Kupp can play against the Las Vegas Raiders.

McVay pointed out Monday that one of the differences in the 2023 team, which went on a run after the bye week, was that the group was relatively healthy, which allowed the team to “play with the same group” most of the time to work by boys”. Season.

The Rams haven't had that luxury this season — and they may not be able to wait since they're already in a 1-4 hole.

However, if Kupp can return in Week 7, it should be a big boost for the offense. In the less than two games he played to start the season, Kupp had 18 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.

In Sunday's loss to the Packers, quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled to get down the field. According to ESPN Research, Stafford was 5 of 13 for 99 yards and one interception on throws of 10 air yards or more.

Stafford was even worse on throws of 20 yards or more, finishing 1 of 7 with one interception.

The return of Kupp and eventually Nacua should help Stafford significantly.

Stafford needs protection to stay healthy

One of the biggest differences on this team, and the one that will be affected by injuries in 2022, is that Stafford is healthy. But even though he hasn't missed any time this season — he's played every offensive snap — he's been hit hard. In five games, Stafford was sacked 16 times, including three times on Sunday by the Packers.

And while McVay said Monday that he doesn't expect Stafford to miss time, the quarterback has been dealing with back pain after the hits he took in that game.

“This guy has been playing for a long time,” McVay said. “He’s as tough as they come. He fired a few shots yesterday. He’s made some shots this year and throughout his career.”

“I think he just had a bit of back pain and that's something we want to keep an eye on, that's all I'm getting at. I didn't want to make too big a deal out of it because we don't expect anything that will limit his ability to participate in training when we get back.”

The Rams should lean on Kyren Williams again

When the Rams went from 3 to 6 after their Week 10 bye a year ago, they were led by Stafford and running back Kyren Williams, both of whom were returning from injuries. Williams was on injured reserve from Weeks 7 to 11 with an ankle injury and Stafford missed a game and a half in Weeks 8 and 9 with a thumb injury.

Williams had one flaw in Sunday's loss to the Packers, but he was a bright spot for this offense that missed Kupp and Nacua. Williams has 360 rushing yards on 95 carries. He has scored seven touchdowns this season (six rushing, one receiving) and has scored a rushing touchdown in eight straight games since last season.

“I was really proud of Kyren,” McVay said. “He’s so competitive, his spirit (and) the way he goes about it. I love it. Obviously he’s such a great competitor. The only thing he's going to pay attention to is getting the ball on the ground, but you look at that.” Amount of free hitters he got positive yards on yesterday, short yards (and) hard red zone running.

“(If) we can get everyone to play like him, we’ll be in good shape. I love what Kyren Williams has done.”

Nobody is running away with the NFC West

Perhaps the biggest reason to be optimistic about a run like 2023 after the bye week is that despite being 1-4, the division isn't out of reach. All four teams lost in Week 5 and the Seattle Seahawks sit atop the NFC West at just 3-2.

The Rams have played the second toughest schedule in five weeks: losses to the Detroit Lions (3-1), Arizona Cardinals (2-3), Chicago Bears (3-2) and Packers (3-2) and a win over the San Francisco 49ers (2-3). Things get a little easier going forward as the Rams have the 13th-ranked roster according to ESPN's FPI rankings.

By comparison, when the Rams finished the regular season 7-1 last year and made the playoffs, they had the 19th most difficult schedule from their Week 10 bye through the end of the season, according to ESPN Research.

And while the Rams aren't out of contention yet, their chances are slim, according to ESPN's FPI analysis. In the FPI rankings, the Rams have a 9.6% chance of making the playoffs and a 7.2% chance of winning the NFC West.