LA Rams sink below .500 for only 2nd time in HC Sean McVay’s career

The LA Rams wanted to win their Week 5 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in the worst way. It was a game that the LA Rams could have won. It was a game that set up a chance for the LA Rams to rebound. If the Rams wanted to remain relevant in the discussions of the top NFL teams, step one was beating the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Well, as the Rolling Stones song once said:

“You can’t always get what you want . . . “

And that is where we find the team after five games of the young 2022 NFL season. The LA Rams are now under .500. Right now, playoffs cannot be something this team is thinking about right now. This team needs an answer on offense. And the team has none. The Rams insist upon doing things the same way and then puzzle over the fact that the results end up the same.

Against a top passing defense, and one that was among the worst in the NFL at stopping the run, the Rams passed.

That’s right. 15 rushes to 36 passes. Yes, the Rams scored a passing touchdown on a 75-yard TD reception by WR Cooper Kupp. But the passing playbook once more bestowed a touchdown on the defense via a strip-sack and fumble recovery for a touchdown.

The more games change, the more the Rams stay the same

Once more the LA Rams refused to run RB Malcolm Brown. Instead, the Rams passed nine times to TE Tyler Higbee, eight times to WR Cooper Kupp, and six times to WR Ben Skowronek. For a change, the Rams did pass five times to RB Darrell Henderson and threw four times to WR Allen Robinson.

In the end, it was a game that we are all too familiar with. The LA Rams must be insane because the team continues to attempt the same old strategy and expect different results. But nothing has changed. The Rams’ offense allowed a strip sack for a touchdown, and Stafford threw an interception. Punter Riley Dixon had another punt blocked. Stafford was sacked in the final two minutes and fumbled the football once more. Three turnovers in another football game.

The Rams did not try to commit to the run. In fact, the Rams never seemed to be interested in running the football. Instead, the Rams appeared to be desperate to do anything so as not to run the football. The LA Rams’ offense has been awful this year. In five games, this offense has put up just 80 points, or an average of 16 points per game. The Rams continue to pump up the receiving yards for Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee, but fail to grasp that they are doing exactly what defenses want them to do.

This is no longer a dangerous offense. It’s an offense that has become so predictable that defenses who face the Rams in January 2023 already know what they will be facing. Yes, Cooper Kupp will remain among the NFL’s top receivers. But the Rams team continues to spiral downward. In the end, the Rams are simply not doing what it takes to win.

And in an attempt to avoid failure, are diving into it headfirst.