The Rams enter Week 7 carrying a real question mark on offense, and it starts with the absence of Davante Adams. Los Angeles is 2-4 and sitting four games behind the 49ers in the NFC West, so there’s no room for wasted chances. Against a Raiders team that is 3-3 and in third place in the AFC West, the Rams need production, not just possession.
That puts even more pressure on Matthew Stafford to steer the offense through a tricky setup. Puka Nacua is still there, and he should get his touches and his yardage.
Beyond that, the Rams have to figure out who fills the No. 2 role. Tyler Higbee could get more involved, or maybe Konata Mumpfield or Jordan Whittington seize the opening.
Stafford, for his part, says he knows what’s on his plate. “I just feel even more responsibility to try to be as good as I can be to help us continue to win,” Stafford said. “In some of those guys’ instances where they’re going to have opportunities to hopefully come back and play for us, make sure that when they come back and play for us, it’s meaningful stuff for them.”
Still, not everyone is convinced the Rams can lean on Stafford the same way they once did. ESPN’s Ben Solak pointed to the quarterback’s shrinking mobility and said, “Stafford can't move,” before laying out the decline in his work on the move.
Solak also noted, “Stafford has zero scrambling passing yards on the season per NFL Next Gen Stats. He has yet to break the pocket and complete a pass on a scramble drill.
The last quarterback to log no scramble passing yards through six weeks of a season was 2022 Tom Brady - the final season of a pocket passing titan.”
Even with that criticism out there, the Rams still have a clear path: run the ball and make the Raiders prove they can stop it. Las Vegas has been vulnerable on the ground, allowing 134.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 28 in the league. That kind of matchup should push Sean McVay toward a more balanced approach.
The numbers back up that idea. The Rams have thrown 252 passes and run it 148 times, and McVay wants that gap tightened up, according to theramswire.com.
“Ultimately, what I care about and what we care about is what’s the best way is to move the ball and score points,” McVay said. “Because of some of the situations that we've been in, those two-minute situations have gotten us a little bit out of balance.
No matter how I cut it, it's an excuse. I'd like to be able to have a little bit more balance.
And that's reflected by being efficient on early downs and sustaining drives.”
The Rams’ confidence hasn’t slipped, either. Williams said the group still believes this can be a special season.
“Man, my confidence is still as high as ever,” Williams said. “We know what we’ve got on our team and in this locker room.
We come to practice every single week. That’s why we can’t lose our focus.
We can’t lose what matters the most, and that’s the work.
“It’s about having faith. That the work we put in every single week will come to shine.”
On the other side, the Raiders have their own problem to sort through in the backfield. Jeanty, taken No. 6 overall, has not delivered the kind of impact they expected. His career average sits at 3.5 yards per carry, and that has opened the door for Washington, who has impressed the coaching staff, according to a post on the Raiders’ YouTube page via Athlon Sports.
There is still a catch, though: Washington has to improve in pass protection. Kubiak addressed his progress and said, “He’s a rookie, so he had a lot to catch up on,” Kubiak said when asked about Washington’s role in the passing game.
“He’s continuing to improve. (And) he’s putting the work in.
You see the practice come to life in the games. He’s not where he wants to be.
He’s got to keep growing.”
Jeanty has been useful as a pass-game threat, and there’s still time for him to rebound after a disappointing start. But the prediction here is that Washington’s role begins to rise this week, and that shift starts to eat into Jeanty’s workload.
In Other News...
Raiders Are Still Reworking The Roster As The Spotlight Grows
The Raiders kept shuffling the edges of the roster this week, adding offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard to the practice squad while moving on from offensive lineman Evan Neal and tight end Chris Myarick. It is the kind of late-season housekeeping that often gets buried, but it matters for a team still trying to stabilize itself up front and keep enough depth in place as the workload and scrutiny keep rising.
The spotlight has only intensified around Las Vegas after its games against the Bills and Chiefs landed among the most-watched programs of the week on CBS Sports. The attention has not all been flattering, either, with Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson suspended after being ejected for spitting on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, another reminder that these games are carrying plenty of heat beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face A Costly O-Line Decision At Exactly The Right Time
With the Raiders sitting at 3-3, the timing could not be more delicate. A playoff run is still within reach, but the offense has not yet looked like a group that can simply muscle through the second half without help up front. That is why the conversation around the offensive line is getting louder, especially with the run game still needing a real jolt.
One name that keeps surfacing is Indianapolis guard Quenton Nelson, a premium lineman who would immediately change the look of Las Vegas up front. The problem is that a move like that would not come cheap, and the Raiders would have to weigh the value of making a push now against the draft capital and long-term money it might take to pull off a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Trade Deadline Focus Comes Down To One Crucial Roster Decision
The Raiders are heading into the trade deadline with several areas on the radar, but the conversation keeps circling back to the offensive line. Las Vegas has been weighing possible upgrades up front, while also looking at the defensive backfield and wide receiver spots as it evaluates where help might matter most. Head coach Klint Kubiak has pointed to the development and challenges along the line and in the secondary, a reminder that this roster is still trying to find its most reliable combinations.
Jalen Nailors return has given the receiver room a needed boost, but the bigger issue remains how to strengthen the group around him without shortchanging other areas. Run blocking has been part of the concern, and the Raiders also know they need more depth at guard and receiver as they sort through their deadline options. The decision now is less about whether there is room to improve and more about which weakness deserves to be addressed first. [Read more 🡒]