The Los Angeles Rams are trying to stop the slide before it gets away from them. After entering the 2026 NFL season as major Super Bowl 61 favorites, they’re now 2-4 and coming off the season’s biggest shocker: a loss as double-digit favorites to the Arizona Cardinals.
That puts a lot more pressure on this Week 7 trip to face the Las Vegas Raiders. The Rams have already dropped behind the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, and another loss would start knocking their playoff hopes down fast.
The biggest issue in Los Angeles has been the play of the reigning NFL MVP. He’s averaging 299.0 passing yards per game, but he’s also thrown six interceptions, and too many of them have come at damaging moments. With Devante Adams injured, the Rams need him to carry even more of the load if they’re going to get back to the level they were expected to play at.
Even with the rough start and the growing injury list, there’s still a case to be made for Los Angeles in this matchup. In this week’s Road to 272 Bets, the argument was to buy low on the Rams at this price against the Raiders.
The Raiders may have looked like a possible playoff team earlier this season, and even their recent losses had at least made them appear competitive. But the numbers underneath the surface are a problem. They sit 26th in net yards per play at -0.7, 25th in opponent EPA, and 27th in opponent success rate.
Kirk Cousins has been excellent for them at quarterback, but the warning sign is clear: if that production dips, the whole offense could unravel because of the ground game. Las Vegas ranks 27th in rush EPA and 29th in rush success rate.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Should Be Careful With The Ashton Jeanty Comparison
Ashton Jeantys early Raiders production has invited an ugly comparison, mostly because the surface numbers look familiar to anyone who remembers Trent Richardsons rapid NFL fade. The caution here is that context matters. Richardson entered the league with a different kind of pre-draft hype and landed behind a stronger blocking environment, while Jeanty has had to navigate a Raiders offense that has not given him much room to work with.
Still, the concerns around Jeanty are real enough to keep the conversation going. His low yards per carry and frequent negative or no-gain runs have been a problem, and the Raiders have not made life easier with poor run blocking, while an ankle issue only adds another layer to the evaluation. The larger point is not that everything is fine, only that it is too early to stamp him with Richardsons fate when the situations around the two backs have not been remotely the same. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Line Trouble Has Put Spytek Under Early Pressure
With the Raiders trying to steady an offensive line that has already become a concern, the front office made another round of roster adjustments this week. Las Vegas brought in offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard on the practice squad as part of a push to add more protection depth before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
At the same time, the Raiders cleared room by moving on from tight end Chris Myarick and offensive lineman Evan Neal. It is an early sign that general manager John Spytek is willing to keep working the roster aggressively, and the bigger question is how much improvement he can engineer in time to help a unit that needs it quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Backfield Suddenly Has A Workload Question Fans Should Watch
The Raiders left Buffalo with a few encouraging signs in the backfield, even if the loss itself still lingered. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. gave the offense a lift with his running, and head coach Klint Kubiak came away pleased enough to point to better production and effort from the group overall.
Kubiaks comments also suggest this is not turning into a one-back operation just yet. Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Laube remain part of the mix, and the workload split in the weeks ahead should be worth watching as Las Vegas tries to find a steadier rhythm on the ground. [Read more 🡒]