Rams remain in ideal spot despite brutal Week 3 loss to Eagles

After squandering a 26-7 lead early in the second half to lose by a score of 33-26 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams have every reason to question what happened. And unlike all of the fourth-quarter comebacks engineered at the hands of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, L.A. failed not once, but twice, to kick a game-winning field goal.

But after disappointment and frustrations subside, there is more to the Week 3 loss than meets the eye.

Los Angeles knew the absence of cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was going to be painful, and it was. The defense was counting on stuffing runs by prolific running back Saquon Barkley, and it did. And except for dubious officiating, which many fans believed ultimately screwed L.A. out of a win, the loss exposed where more coaching is needed.

The game was decided in the final seconds. Forget the blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. The loss occurred as soon as the sixth and final field goal of the game failed to score points. Six more points after regulation time had run out were just window dressing.

Rams remain in an ideal spot despite brutal Week 3 loss to Eagles

The Rams must regroup after a brutal loss. But, as CBS Sports NFL analyst Matt Ryan pointed out, Los Angeles has every reason to be confident in a rematch this season.

With both teams still showing every indication of success, that is very possible in the postseason this year.

The other factor to consider is how the players are handling the turn of events. While the loss is disappointing, the adage "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" seems quite fitting.

In a press conference, backup running back Blake Corum stated the mood of the team in another way:

"We're built for it. ... Adversity, either you fold or you push through and you make something out of it, right? And so that's what our mindset is in the building today."

If the goal was to test how good Los Angeles stacked up against Philly in Week 3, being in a position to win the game on the road with the final seconds ticking off the clock is certainly a step in the right direction. While a loss is still a loss, the Rams remain above .500 early in the season.

Nobody expected Los Angeles to remain undefeated this season. But fans expect a rebound after a loss.

Based on what NFL analysts and players are saying, they are not alone in thinking that, either.

As always, thanks for reading.

You may enjoy reading other recent Rams articles as well