LA Rams Week 12 loss proves that they have not improved

Go ahead and point your fingers. It’s an easy thing to do. In 2020, the outcries were to get rid of quarterback Jared Goff. In 2021, the outcries are to get rid of defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. It’s a silly #ThingToDo because in the end all it does is confuse the issue of what’s wrong with this team. The Rams are struggling, and it’s not one person. It’s their organization.

The problems with these LA Rams are far deeper than the quarterback who used to play here. They are far deeper than the defensive coordinator in his first year with this team.  The Rams were banged up in the 2020 Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. They are coming off the BYE in 2021.

On both occasions, the LA Rams lost a game to the Green Bay Packers on the road. On both occasions, the loss was more than a loss, it was an exposure of the Rams’ problems to their roster, their coaching staff, the players they have turned over the keys to on this team, and the plays they have chosen to let go.

Forcing the ball

The Rams threw the ball to Odell Beckham Jr. 10 times. He caught five of those passes for 81 yards and one touchdown. The team ran the ball 20 times for 68 yards. And the coaching staff knew before the game that starting quarterback Matthew Stafford was all banged up. It’s tough to draw a cause and effect over a battered Stafford and his sudden lack of ball control, but enough evidence exists to draw a correlation.

In Week 12, Stafford threw a pick-six and fumbled the football at the six-yard line. The result of two turnovers? 10 points. The Packers’ margin of victory? Eight points.

This offense won’t run the ball. That’s a fact. No matter what the score is, the pattern seems to be immutable. Yes, the Rams had two long scoring drives. But there is a huge difference in the timing when the score puts the Rams up by double digits or when the score merely closes the gap from 17 to 10 points behind.

All for one, one for who?

The Rams lost a must-win game. The team was soft on tackling. The team could not stop the run. The team certainly did not play with any extra intensity.  Perhaps the willingness to not put starters into preseason games, or pull them from games that have become a bit lopsided has a downside?

More desperately, there was no leadership. Nobody stood up and put a stop to this nonsense. Nobody got hot. Stafford? He headed up and just as quickly cooled off.

Perhaps this is as good as it gets for the LA Rams? Losing to a beat-up Packers team has dropped the LA Rams to 7-4, and that means that these LA Rams are now at risk of not making the NFL Playoffs altogether.

The Rams may win the game next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that could be it. The Rams may or may not sweep the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams are far behind the Arizona Cardinals now. They are losing their grip on a playoff spot now.  Yes, the Rams remain talented. But the team has shown no backbone, no fierce competitive spirit, no toughness. That is on the coaching staff. And what was once considered a strength of the LA Rams is proving to be a weakness this year.

Fire Raheem Morris?  Well, how exactly does that fix an offense that has coughed up the ball six times in the last three losses, including tossing a pick-six in each game?  The LA Rams are fighting for their playoff lives now.  Let’s fix this if we can. Then you can blame it on anyone you choose.