How well will LA Rams K Brett Maher perform in Week 5?

Maher can't put Rams over the top in Week 4

The trek to a solid season for Maher seemed to be smooth sailing until the LA Rams ran aground of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. Unlike his debut with the LA Rams in Week 1, Maher started red hot for the LA Rams against the Colts. He drilled his first two extra points, and then began to pump up the points tally by nailing his first two field goal attempts.

But cracks appeared in dam when Brett Maher failed to connect on his third field goal attempt of the game, a 46 yard attempt that sailed to the left. That was the last play of the first half, but would not be the last failed field goal attempt. The LA Rams would enter halftime with a comfortable lead of 20-0, so the miss seemed to be no more than a hiccup on the way to an easy Week 4 win.

But the Rams would get cold, and the Colts would get red hot in the second half. As for Maher, he would connect with his third field goal, this time a 51-yard field goal that would extend the Rams lead to 23-0. But after the Colts scored on a touchdown and a two-point conversion, Maher would miss once more, this time on a 48-yard field goal that would have placed the game completely out of reach. He missed, which opened the door for the Colts to tie the score 23-23 before the Rams would pull out a win with a touchdown pass to WR Puka Nacua in overtime to seal the victory.

Week 5 will need the best of Brett Maher

That's quite a lot of ground covered for just four games. But it was all necessary to get here, to this point, where we can pivot from the past to the Week 5 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The LA Rams are home underdogs, and that is unlikely to improve before the opening kickoff.

Of course, the LA Rams may have some good news in terms fo the Rams roster. While the Rams currently have three unfilled roster slots heading into Week 5, that could change if the Rams are able to get any of the five players on injured reserve up to NFL speed in time for the kickoff. The five LA Rams players on IR are led by veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The Rams have been pushing hard to get Kupp on line in time to face the Eagles in Week 5.

But perhaps the more important factor in terms of the Week 5 outcome is whether or not Rams kicker Brett Maher can continue to put up 10+ points in this game. In all honesty, the Rams may need a lot more from Maher in Week 5 to have any hope of winning. After all, the Philadelphia Eagles are powered by the NFL's most proficient kicker after four weeks in Jake Elliott, who has made13 of 14 field goals and 9 of 10 extra points so far this season.

But LA Rams are not far behind, as Brett Maher has made 12 of 16 field goals so far, and has kicked 8 of 8 extra points so far this season. Just for comparison purposes, Maher is the third ranked NFL field goal kicker so far this season.

So what about Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay? Curiously, he is the 19th ranked place kicker in the NFL, having made six of seven field goals, while nailing nine of nine extra points so far this season. So far, it appears as though the Rams had made a wise decision to go with the far more economical Brett Maher this season. But the proof is in the pudding, and a game winning field goal in Week 5 would be sweet indeed.