LA Rams humbled by Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium

The LA Rams were never going to run the table in the 2021 NFL season. As we have said plenty of times, this was about getting one more win and getting one game closer to their magic number of 12 wins for an NFL playoff berth. So the goal is to win one more game. That just didn’t happen today. Don’t fret folks. Reload.

This was a game that was virtually all Arizona Cardinals. Not just as time wound down, but early in the game. The Cardinals did everything that they need to do. They scouted the Rams’ offense very well. They diagnosed that this offense had become fixated on throwing to Cooper Kupp and DeSean Jackson. And yet, even when confronted with stiff defense, quarterback Matthew Stafford continued to look for Kupp and Jackson.

At the end of the third quarter, Cooper Kupp was 5-12 for 64 yards, DeSean Jackson was 1-3 for 6 yards. Sometimes it just happens that way. The rest of the receivers? 12 of 16 for 141 yards and one touchdown. That’s how it works. The Cardinals gambled that this Rams offense would not adapt, would not improvise, would not target other receivers. The Cardinals won the bet.

There are plenty of areas to question the LA Rams in this one. Plenty of ‘blame’ to go around. The Rams coughed up the ball twice.  The Rams missed a field goal. The Rams tried to punch it in from fourth and goal and failed to score.  If failure creates learning lessons, then Week 4 was summer school for the Rams in every aspect.

Too soon for that Best Team in the NFL nonsense

As soon as the Rams won their third game in a row, this time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL media started blasting the “Rams are the best team in the NFL” and many bought in. It was everyone from Rich Eisen, to ESPN’s Get Up, to Colin Cowherd.  As I stated in the Cowherd article:

"“Too much love? Well, in the grand scheme of things, this endorsement by Colin Cowherd remains unsettling. While I believe that Stafford’s ability to pass into the jaws of the defense without deception is a positive step for the Rams offense, I would feel a bit better if Colin Cowherd wasn’t discussing it.”"

The Rams are young and still learning. The veteran Rams players are still familiarizing themselves with the Rams plays and the roster. The best strategy is to gradually improve through the course of the season. Peak later, learn now.

The broadcasters called this a beat down. It was. After piling up a string of eight consecutive wins, the LA Rams are now 8-1 against the Arizona Cardinals since head coach Sean McVay took over. But just as there are no style points for an ugly win, there are just as few for an ugly loss.

The Rams will emerge from this one with a record of 3-1, with an unexpected 0-1 record in the very competitive NFC West. The Rams will be on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, a team that is on the way to winning their second game with a surprising win of their own against the San Francisco 49ers.

Still a very good LA Rams team

Did you think that the Rams would win every game this season? They won’t. In fact, in the remaining 13 games of the 2021 NFL season, there are probably four losses remaining.  So why go overboard when the losses arrive?

The LA Rams did not show up for this one. Whether overconfident, underestimating their opponent, or simply expecting to win just for showing up, the team showed very little of anything in all three phases of the game.  In Week 3, we witnessed just how good this Rams team can play. In Week 4, we witnessed just how poorly this LA Rams can play. Will the real LA Rams team please stand up?

The Rams are not the best team in the NFL, not yet. But they are still a very good NFL team. This is a team with five new positional coaches, a new quarterback, a new offensive center, a new running back, a new Special teams Coordinator, a new Defensive Coordinator,  and five new starters on the defensive side of the ball. No, those are NOT excuses. Simply the logical reasons why the LA Rams team is still getting better.

If the Rams continue the 3-1 pace, in 16 games, they will be 12-4. How terrible is that exactly? Perhaps this embarrassing loss is a blessing in disguise after all. There has been entirely too much praise showering this LA Rams team too soon. No doubt, each and every “Best Team in the NFL” story that hit the NFL national headlines ended up on the Arizona Cardinals bulletin board.

The Cardinals won this one. They are now 4-0. The Rams are now 3-1. Don’t let one loss cloud your judgment here.

A slice of humble pie

The Rams have fallen from “intense urgency” to casual laughter and merriment. Success is both a positive and a negative. It is positive when it fuels the confidence required to meet any challenge with the best performance possible. It is negative when it allows shortcuts, diminishes intensity, passion, and preparedness. It’s fatal when it tricks the belief that someone is better than they really are.

There were players who didn’t play well in this one. I wasn’t thrilled to see David Long Jr. beaten repeatedly. I didn’t see much pass coverage from Taylor Rapp. For that matter, I didn’t see much in terms of run defense from anyone in this one. Much like the Rams, this Cardinals team is built to get a lead and then outgun their opponents to the finish line. They did to the Rams what the Rams did to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One point to note. This LA Rams team was down by 11 points at the half. The Cardinals’ defensive philosophy was exactly what we expected from them. Their secondary focused on the two most dangerous receivers on the Rams offense, Cooper Kupp, and DeSean Jackson, and committed to stopping them.  At halftime, Cooper Kupp was 2-7 for 40 yards. Desean Jackson was 0-2 but one interception. The Cardinals were prepared.

Kupp ended the game at 5-13 for 64 yards. Jackson ended the game at 1-3 for six yards. Who were the offensive stars? Van Jefferson was 6 of 6 for 90 yards and one touchdown. Robert Woods was 4 of 6 for 48 yards and one touchdown. Painful lesson here, but this LA Rams team was outcoached from the opening kickoff to the final score.

Where to duct tape the team after this loss?

The Rams will not have much time to like their wounds after this one. They play on Thursday Night Football on the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks (2-2). So what do the Rams need to do to have a chance of winning?

Fix those turnovers. An interception led to a touchdown. A fumble led to a touchdown. Those scores changed the entire complexion of this game. Had the Rams not turned the ball over and simply punted the ball away, 14 Cardinals points come off the board. That would have made the halftime score 13-10 in favor of the Rams, and kept this game within reach.

The second priority is to fix that run defense. Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is having one helluva season, and the Seahawks are likely already scheming an offensive game plan to use tight ends Will Dissly and Gerald Everett as primary targets in the passing game, and use their blocking to run at will against this Rams shaky run defense. It’s an obvious game plan. Hopefully, the Rams are not too confident in their team to diagnose their own weaknesses and plan accordingly.

Finally, the Rams have got to reroute their passing game as soon as they witness what the defense is trying to do. But for goodness sakes, stick with what works. The Rams were running very effectively in this one, 13 times for 78 yards by halftime. They ended the game with 21 yards rushing for 121 yards. The Cardinals’ defense was as soft against the run as expected. But as was the case before, the Rams fail to stick with the run if it’s working.

As we feared in our Tread Carefully article, we pointed out the pitfall that the Rams fell into in this one:

"“Still, there is that ‘hype’ factor. The LA Rams are 3-0. The Arizona Cardinals are 3-0. And yet the media is beginning to ask those questions that always seem to be a precursor to a rude awakening. Is this the year of Matthew Stafford earning the MVP award? Is this the year that the LA Rams win a Super Bowl? Matthew Stafford has won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice in three games. Cooper Kupp has won the NFL Offensive Player of the Month. Earned awards? Yes. But they also serve to motivate divisional rivals who either feel slighted or who use those distinctions to measure themselves. No need to wave flags in front of a bull."

The flags waved feverishly in front of the bull in this one. Too much so it seems.

Put the enthusiasm back on the shelf, Lock the over-confidence back up in the hall closet. Find that intense urgency once more, and place it as the centerpiece where all can see it. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-5 in 2020 before turning everything around and winning their last eight games to win Super Bowl LV. The Rams are 3-1.

There is still time. As long as the team finds that intense urgency once more.