If being a new dad wasn’t already keeping Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay up at night, then then his team’s three-game losing streak certainly is.
Having not won a game in over a month, McVay and the Rams will look to get back in the win column when they return to SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon to host the Seattle Seahawks.
Last week, the Rams enjoyed a much-needed bye week after the consecutive defeats, two of which came on the road in embarrassing fashion. Two weeks prior to the bye, the Dallas Cowboys blew out Los Angeles in Arlington by a score of 43-20. Quarterback Dak Prescott tore up the Rams’ secondary, completing 25 of his 31 pass attempts for 304 yards and four touchdowns with an interception.
The following week, Los Angeles mustered under 200 yards of total offense in a 20-3 defeat at the hands of the Packers in Green Bay. Backup quarterback Brett Rypien started in place of an injured Matthew Stafford, who was dealing with a thumb issue, and struggled mightily. Rypien completed just 13 of his 28 pass attempts for 130 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Fortunately for the Rams, Stafford was able to get healthy during the bye week. The veteran quarterback was a full participant in practice this week and is expected to start on Sunday.
Earlier this week, Rams head coach Sean McVay called his team “as healthy as we’ve been since the start of the season.”
However, Stafford’s return alone will not be enough to propel the Rams to a victory, as they face a Seahawks team sitting at 6-3 and quietly in the midst of the NFC playoff picture. Seattle has won three of its past four, including last week’s victory sealed by a walk-off field goal against the Washington Commanders. That result left Seattle tied with the San Francisco 49ers for first place in the NFC West.
While Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith isn’t quite matching the Pro Bowl numbers that he put up last year, the journeyman is enjoying another solid season in Seattle. Through nine games, Smith has completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,171 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Rams, on the other hand, are currently 3-6 and largely an afterthought as far as the playoffs go. If Los Angeles wants to have any shot of turning things around and making a postseason push, this weekend is effectively a must-win.
In order for the Rams to do so, they must figure out how to get their offense rolling. Despite having a veteran quarterback in Stafford, one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and an emerging young running back in Kyren Williams, Los Angeles has scored more than 20 points in just four of its nine games this season.
Kickoff between the Rams and the Seahawks on Sunday is set for 1:25 PM PST. The game will be televised by CBS.