The Los Angeles Rams enter Week 14 looking to rebound after their first loss since Week 5, falling 31-28 to the Carolina Panthers.
It was uncharacteristic for the NFC West leaders. MVP candidate Matthew Stafford committed a season-high three turnovers and threw his first interception since Week 3, ending his NFL-record streak of 28 passing touchdowns without one.
Defensively, the Rams also gave up their most points since Week 3, failed to come away with a single takeaway and allowed three fourth-down conversions.
The defeat has serious implications for the NFC playoff picture. Entering Sunday’s contest, the Rams held the #1 spot in the conference — in control of their destiny for a first-round bye. Now, they find themselves 9-3, and behind the Chicago Bears in the tiebreaker. They are also tied once again atop the NFC West, holding a tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks, and just a half-game lead on the San Francisco 49ers.
On Sunday, the Rams head to Glendale for a divisional matchup with the 3-9 Arizona Cardinals. Yet, it should make for a greater contest than records suggest.
Arizona has quietly played competitive football as of late. In their past two games against division leaders — the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the Cardinals lost by just a field goal in each. This comes even as the team has dealt with a season riddled with injuries, including losing starting quarterback Kyler Murray and running back James Conner early on.
Stepping in for Murray, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett has kept Arizona alive, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in his seven starts. Brissett’s main target, star tight end Trey McBride, has continued his dominance as one of the best pass catchers in the entire NFL. He leads the league in receptions, is sixth in receiving yards and has hauled in eight touchdowns on the year. If the Rams wish to get back to their winning ways, they will have to slow down this Arizona passing attack.
The Rams secondary, featuring cornerbacks Emmanuel Forbes and Cobie Durant, have had great success against the pass so far this season. In the past three weeks, they have come away with six interceptions, allowing just 181 passing yards on average in that span. If the pairing can find a way to limit Brissett’s connection to McBride, then the Rams will likely have great success.
On the flip side of the ball, Stafford must take greater care. He accounted for all of the Rams’ turnovers last week, with one interception being returned for a touchdown, which proved to be the difference in Sunday’s three-point loss.
He is having a historic season thus far, and he is doing so alongside another potential hall of famer in Davante Adams, who last game surpassed legendary Chargers tight end Antonio Gates for seventh all-time in receiving touchdowns in NFL history. Stafford and Adams have connected for 14 touchdowns so far this season, with at least one in their past six games.
Yet, Adams is not the only weapon in Stafford’s arsenal. Before his sequence of injuries earlier this season, wide receiver Puka Nacua was on pace to break the single-season receptions record. However, while he was the leader in the Rams’ early success, Nacua hasn’t been at the forefront of the offense as of late, tallying just six receptions in Sunday’s loss. Finding a greater way to incorporate him would be a great help for the Rams to get back on track.
While the Rams passing attack has been its trademark, their run game has an opportunity to make a big impact. Last week in Carolina, running back duo Kyren Williams and Blake Corum rushed for 152 yards, with the pair each scoring a touchdown. If the Rams can pair a strong ground attack with a clean execution from Stafford and the defense, they’ll put themselves in a great position to gain back control in the NFC.
The game kicks off at 1:25 p.m, and is available for viewing on FOX, or streaming on the Fox Sports App.