Rams can make Week 6 vs. Cardinals a get-right game in all phases

The Los Angeles Rams are not where they wanted to be at this stage of the 2026 season. By all accounts, their opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers wasn't the anomaly many thought it was, but the rule. And now, the Rams must scrape and claw their way back to respectability.

After a gauntlet of five potential playoff teams, they finally face one with a losing record: the 1-4 Arizona Cardinals.

Of course, you can toss records and expectations out the window whenever division rivals clash. And the Cardinals, led by former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, would love to kick Los Angeles when it's down.

The Cardinals just traded away struggling wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. That move comes after cutting quarterback Kyler Murray in the offseason. Clearly, LaFleur has a plan in mind for his offense and is shedding players who do not fit his tough-minded, physical specifications.

He has a long way to go to construct his team, however, and the Rams should take advantage.

Rams have 3 key tasks as they try to turn the corner

The Rams need victories, period. But winning the right way will help them over the long haul. It's simply the harsh reality that this team cannot move forward with hopes to compete in the postseason until it gains confidence in all aspects. Here are three key areas LA must confirm to be functional and dependable.

1. Commit to the rushing attack

The Rams have tasked quarterback Matthew Stafford with throwing 50+ passes in each of the last three games. Conversely, they have asked relatively little of running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. That has to change.

Williams and Corum have combined for 108 rushes, 524 yards, and five touchdowns over five games. They have averaged 4.85 yards per carry.

So why is the offense averaging two passes for every rush?

There is no reason to exhaust Stafford's arm. And with the weather turning colder, this running attack becomes far more vital. The Rams must establish an effective run game at some point. After all, that opens up the entire playbook for LA's play-action offense.

Week 6 is a perfect time to get the ground game going.

2. Don't bubble-wrap new kicker Blake Grupe

While it may feel prudent not to ask much from newly signed kicker Blake Grupe, that would be a mistake. Until LA gives him the chance to earn its trust, he is an unknown. So send him onto the field to attempt a 60-yard field goal. Put him on the spot. Let's see what he brings to special teams.

It's far easier to find out what he can do now than to guess and be disappointed later in the season. By rule, the Rams must keep him on the active roster for four weeks after signing him off the New York Jets' practice squad. Better to know what they have than not to know.

3. Stuff the run on defense

After being shredded by the Buffalo Bills for 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Week 5, the Rams need to establish a stingier run defense. That won't be easy, if only due because this group has been quite suspect so far.

The best result of stuffing the run would to be force a mediocre Cardinals passing offense into action. LA built a rock-solid secondary. With or without injured cornerback Trent McDuffie, they should be able to do the job in Week 6.

Will they put it all together vs. Cardinals?

Run the ball. Grind out yards. Control the clock. That is what this team was built to do, but the Rams have not discovered that calling yet. The closest they came to executing that game plan was a 28-6 Week 2 shellacking of the New York Giants. In that game, the offense passed 31 times and ran 28 times.

It's no wonder that LA"s best defensive performance of the season coincided with its most balanced outing on offense.

Week 6 is more than a test of the Rams' resolve after a bitter loss. Do they know how to win by playing complementary football? Guess we'll find out.

As always, thanks for reading.

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