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The Rams are reeling.
Is it a diagnostic (or bug) of the NFL’s caller 17-game season, a lull oregon a unsmooth spot that conscionable has to beryllium factored in? Could it beryllium the effect of capable bruises and dings to Matthew Stafford that the franchise backmost has go physically compromised, adjacent arsenic helium tries to plow done it? Did the season-ending ACL wounded to Robert Woods, suffered successful signifier the precise aforesaid time that Odell Beckham Jr. joined the team, person a much profound interaction than initially thought?
All of the supra are apt factors, but whatever. Excuses mean arsenic overmuch arsenic upwind conditions successful the NFL. Nobody cares, and cipher sympathizes.
What matters is that a squad that was considered a coagulated contender to play the Super Bowl successful its location stadium connected Feb. 13 has mislaid 3 consecutive games sandwiched astir a bye week, looking retired of quality connected some sides of the ball. The Rams’ last six games mightiness beryllium a scramble to unafraid a playoff spot alternatively than a pursuit for the NFC West lead, since Arizona present holds a two-game cushion not counting the head-to-head tiebreaker.
It’s a bully clip for a “get right” game, isn’t it?
The 2-9 Jacksonville Jaguars volition beryllium successful Inglewood connected Sunday afternoon, and if the Rams can’t extremity their losing streak against the Jags, past we’ll cognize determination are superior issues. With a backmost extremity of the docket that includes NFC West rematches with the Cardinals (in Arizona), Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers arsenic good arsenic roadworthy games astatine Minnesota and Baltimore, it could beryllium a prelude to a colossal, epic and stunning autumn from grace.
Or other the solution mightiness conscionable beryllium small tweaks present and there, nether the heading of attraction to detail. And possibly Coach Sean McVay, who is fond of posting inspirational messages passim the Rams’ facility, volition adhd this 1 to the mix:
“I privation guys to play not fearing nonaccomplishment but attacking success,” helium said via Zoom connected Monday afternoon.
Then again, possibly helium already has.
The peculiar taxable astatine that constituent of his media league was turnovers, and that has been a peculiar contented during this rut.
Through the season’s archetypal 8 games, successful which the Rams won seven, they were a plus-seven successful turnover ratio and Stafford had thrown 3 interceptions. In the past 3 games, he’s thrown five, positive a mislaid fumble against the Packers connected Sunday, and helium has thrown 1 pick-six successful each game. The team’s turnover ratio successful those games: Minus-five.
Stafford’s passer standing done the archetypal 8 games was 118.0. Now it’s 105.2, and his yards per effort was 9.07 successful the archetypal 8 games and has been 6.60 implicit the past three.
So is helium hurting? He was connected the Rams’ wounded study earlier the Tennessee game, sitting retired 2 practices with backmost issues, and turned an ankle precocious successful that game, but helium hasn’t been connected the database the past 2 weeks. Yet ESPN newsman Dianna Russini tweeted earlier the Packers crippled Sunday that Stafford “has been dealing with symptom successful his throwing arm, his elbow, a sore ankle, and chronic backmost pain, per sources. He volition play today.”
Rams backmost Matthew Stafford, has been dealing with symptom successful his throwing arm, his elbow, a sore ankle, and chronic backmost pain, per sources.
He volition play today.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) November 28, 2021
But erstwhile asked what helium was seeing from his position, choky extremity Tyler Higbee either confirmed oregon denied it depending connected your interpretation.
“The dude’s a gamer, man,” Higbee said. “He’s 1 of the toughest dudes that I’ve seen. He’s steadfast from what I’ve – from what I know. … Guys would say, ‘I’m going to instrumentality the time disconnected from practice’ and worldly similar that. But he’s retired determination moving done it.
“It’s football. It’s portion of it. Everyone’s going to beryllium a small spot injured, a small spot hurt, and it’s astir pushing done it and doing it. But yeah, he’s healthy, he’s fine.”
Anyway, the word “healthy” is comparative successful the NFL arsenic November fades into December. Nobody’s truly healthy. Yet it’s been a melodramatic crook from an MVP level of play to what we’re seeing now. And if thing different than wellness is the issue, that’s sizeable origin for alarm.
Other factors person been arsenic critical. Losing Woods not lone deprived the Rams of a complementary menace that kept defenses honorable against Cooper Kupp, but it had a ripple effect. Van Jefferson finds himself learning a caller spot and caller responsibilities successful the Rams’ offense. Beckham is inactive moving his mode successful (and incurred a spot of a hep pointer connected Sunday, McVay said).
Again, it’s routine, though the afloat effect the summation of an other crippled has connected players’ wellness mightiness not beryllium evident until the teams fortunate capable to scope the postseason effort to fig retired who’s disposable astatine what level of carnal capacity.
Right now, the Rams request to punctual themselves of however they got to 7-1 successful the archetypal place. There volition beryllium nary originative techniques to regain assurance oregon amended the mood.
“The information is ever connected the film,” McVay said.
“You privation to conscionable proceed to combat your mode retired of this rut. We’re going to spell close backmost to our process. We’re going to look inwardly and I cognize it’s benignant of the aforesaid things that I’ve been saying, but that’s what we’ll do. And I deliberation we’ve got the close benignant of guys to beryllium capable to combat retired of this happening the close way.”
They’ll ne'er accidental it, but getting the Jaguars this week should beryllium a bully elixir, too.
jalexander@scng.com
@Jim_Alexander connected Twitter
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