How Rams' toxic special teams blocking has impacted multiple losses in 2025

The Los Angeles Rams have only lost two games over the first five weeks of the season, but the way they're losing is more than concerning.

The problem is that blocking for place kicking is failing miserably.

In the past three games, three of specialist Joshua Karty's five kicks have been blocked and have led to both losses. The first loss was to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 33-26, while the second was to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 26-23 in overtime.

Blocked kicks are rare in the NFL. One blocked field goal over the course of a 17-game season can be expected. But three blocked kicks over the course of three games, all occurring at pivotal moments, are worthy of a Klaxon alarm signaling a disaster is underway.

And for the reeling Rams, it is.

"I thought we had a good handle on it," head coach Sean McVay revealed to reporters after the Week 5 loss to the Niners. "Clearly, I was not right in that, so we've got to fix it. We've got to get back to work, and we've got to get the right techniques, and we've got to get the right people on there, because that has been a killer for us, and it's cost us two games."

McVay was open and direct in his assessment. And he is quite correct; the failure to properly block when executing field goals and extra points has led directly to both losses to date.

Until Los Angeles places a permanent fix in place, this will haunt Karty and Co. all season long.

Rams have to fix their blocking before it gets out of hand

LA's blocking on special teams this season is ironic. Much of the training camp reports suggested the offensive line was both talented and deep. Five games into the season and two losses later, the talent and depth have yet to surface. This is not a bargain-basement unit. This is a highly paid group of players who have struggled this season.

Blocking grades for individual players are finally starting to stabilize, despite the Rams starting two backups in Week 5. But blocking has remained a serious concern all season, and the struggles experienced on the O-line have bled over to special teams as well.

And after suffering two losses, there's a lot of work remaining to fix it.

Games are won and lost by the quality of a team's kicking game. And so far, losses are happening at an alarming rate. Are the squib kicks at kickoffs changing the arc and trajectory of field goals and extra points? Has the O-line ignored warning signs all along, and now must scramble to play catch-up?

Is this a simple fix, or one that will require a season-long trial-and-error effort?

Ultimately, the losses will continue to pile up until this gets fixed. Like previous years, LA is digging a hole for itself.

Hopefully, as in previous years, the Rams discover a way out of an early hole before it's too late.

As always, thanks for reading.

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