Without a first-quarter touchdown, a depleted Todd Gurley, a defense struggling in the secondary—the first quarter of the 2019 NFL has not been favorable for the Los Angeles Rams. With a 3-2 record, the Rams currently sit in 3rd place in the NFC West and 8th in the NFC.
While the Rams began their season with three straight victories against the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns, fans agree that this team does not resemble the same dynamic, untouchable team that made a Super Bowl run last season.
But, this team could be 5-0.
The Rams’ two losses come at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks. Against the Buccaneers, the Rams had the ball at the Buccaneers’ 46-yard line with 1:06 left and a chance to tie with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Instead, Rams quarterback Jared Goff fumbled, and Ndamukong Suh recovered it for a touchdown, taking the final score to 55-40, the most points allowed under head coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Against the Seahawks, kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-winning 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the game.
Despite being 3-2, the confidence in LA’s camp is not wavering.
Goff compared his team to last year's New England Patriots, who started 1-2 and went on to win six straight games. The Patriots finished the season as Super Bowl Champions against the Rams.
Aside from Goff’s comparison, the Rams can still be somewhat comfortable in their situation: last time they started 3-2 in 2017, they managed to make the playoffs.
Still, the Rams must fix their holes now.
On Sunday, they host the San Francisco 49ers, who come into town with a 4-0 record, representing one of the two unbeaten teams in the league thus far.
In particular, the defense needs to come together. On the season, the defensive unit is allowing a near league-worst 26.8 points per game and will face a 49ers offense averaging a near league-best 31.8 points per game.
The 49ers also rank first in rushing yards per game at 200 with attempts split between running backs Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert.
The Rams are in the middle-of-the-pack currently in terms of defending the rush game. But, linebacker Clay Matthews will be out with a broken jaw. Matthews leads the team with six sacks and two forced fumbles on the season.
The Rams will be demanding a lot from defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald has been statistically quiet this season because of the NFL-high 82 teams he has been doubled. With no sack, he is due for a big game.
In spite of the secondary allowing eight passing touchdowns in the past two losses, cornerback Marcus Peters believes the entire defense needs to “go back to fundamentals” and have "everybody just do their job and line up and just play [ball]."
Perhaps the offense is taking more credit for the recent losses. Receiver Robert Woods did not sugar coat their situation, telling ESPN, "I personally feel like we've got a lot of work to do” including “[being] the aggressor. [Being] the hammer, not the nail."
With Coach McVay, the league expects an elusive Rams offense. They are 5th in the league with 29.2 points per game and 5th in yards with 413.6; however, they only average 96.2 rushing yards a game and have a -4 turnover ratio.
Buzz around the league regarding running back Todd Gurley’s load management have increased with the Rams struggle to move the ball on the ground this season— all of Gurley’s statistics are down from last year, most notably his carries and yards at 35%. Gurley will not be available for the Rams due to a quad injury.
Though Los Angeles has been relying heavily on the passing game— they attempt a league-high 44 per game— they will face a 49ers defense allowing only 175.8 passing yards per game. The receiving corps must get engaged early on to open up the running game and allow McVay’s creativeness to shine.
Another major area of improvement that the Rams must fix is their issues with ball security; San Francisco’s defense ranks fourth in scoring and second in total turnovers. The 49ers top-ranking defense paired with Goff’s seven interceptions and the Rams’ four fumbles will certainly not help if the Rams want to avoid falling to .500.
Regardless of the Rams’ struggles to start the season, they do have reasons for optimism going into Sunday. Last year, they beat 49ers 39-10 and 48-32, though quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was out with a torn ACL, and they will be coming off nine days of rest compared to the 49ers’ five.
Along with Matthews and Gurley, the Rams with be without starting cornerback Aqib Talib, who is suffering from a rib injury.
The NFC West matchup will take place at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at the Coliseum. The game will be shown locally on Fox.