3 good, 3 bad, and 3 ugly takeaways in LA Rams Week 4 humbling loss
By Bret Stuter
Good III: Rams are 3-1. The LA Rams did not suffer any injuries
You have to claim the little victories where you can get them, don’t you? Well, here they are. The LA Rams are still 3-1, and they emerge from Week 4 without any known new injuries. Heading into Week 5 with a short week to prepare for the Seattle Seahawks, health is always a concern.
The Rams roster has been pummeled so far this season at running back and outside linebacker. So much so that the front office has been obligated to reinforce both positions. The Rams traded for New England Patriots running back Sony Michel and claimed outside linebacker Jamir Jones off the Pittsburgh Steelers waiver wire. While Michel was active for Week 4, both Jones and rookie outside linebacker Chris Garrett were inactive for this one.
Yes, the Rams have a lot to clean up and only three days to do it. Yes, the Rams have fallen from the designation of “The Best Team in the NFL” to a point where some believe they will struggle to make the playoffs. But pause. Take a deep breath. Exhale.
The Rams are still nine games shy of their 12 win goal to earn a playoff berth. And they will meet the Arizona Cardinals again in Week 14. The Cardinals had a better day. With the Rams now forced to focus upon their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, we will all need to shake off this one and look to Week 5 to start a new winning streak.
This is the regular season. These games are played for the right to enter the NFL playoffs. I wasn’t buying that the Rams were the best team in the NFL after just three games. I am most certainly not throwing in the towel after just one loss. In 2020, the Arizona Cardinals shocked everyone with wins over the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks to climb to 5-2 before their BYE. They finished that year with a record of 3-6.
This is a long 17 game season. The only certainty right now is that the Rams will finish somewhere between 3-14 and 16-1. After Week 5, we’ll know whether the Rams are any closer to 12 wins.