The Rams don’t need a complete overhaul after one game, but they do need a fast response. The season opener exposed three problems that have to get cleaned up right away if Los Angeles wants to look anything like the team it expected to be.
The biggest issue starts up front, where the run defense was too soft and too easy to push around. Tim Keenan’s rookie status makes it fair to wonder whether he would have been better than what the Rams got from Poona Ford and Ty Hamilton, and Week 2 gives both veterans a chance to answer back.
If they don’t, the Giants will have every reason to lean on the ground game. Chris Shula may need to reshuffle things, even sliding Kobie Turner to nose tackle, because the Rams are not going anywhere until they stop the run.
That problem feeds directly into the second one: Matthew Stafford was nowhere near sharp enough. He finished at 60 percent completions for 155 yards, and when the ball went to wide receivers, he was just 8-of-15 for 100.
The Rams kept the field short in Week 1, and the 49ers crowded them in response. Without a stronger showing from Stafford, and without any real threat to stretch the defense, this offense is going to keep looking ordinary.
That’s where the third fix comes in. Los Angeles has to rediscover explosive plays, and the fastest way to do that is by getting the ball to Tutu Atwell and/or Xavier Smith.
Atwell wasn’t even active in the opener, which tells you how little vertical juice the Rams had. The ground game wasn’t much help either.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum produced steady enough runs, but the longest gain between them was only 13 yards. That kind of offense is too easy to sit on.
The Rams can line up in 12- and 13-personnel all they want, but if defenses don’t fear the deep ball, they’ll keep crowding the box and squeezing the life out of the attack. Until the run defense stiffens, Stafford gets rolling, and explosive plays return, the Rams will keep making life harder on themselves.
In Other News...
Rams Hit With Another Frustrating Issue Ahead Of Giants Game
The Rams are trying to steady themselves after dropping their season opener to the 49ers, and the week has already brought a fresh layer of frustration. Two players were fined for separate penalties from that game, a reminder that the opener not only ended in a loss but also left the team dealing with discipline issues as it turns its attention to the Giants.
Tyler Davis was fined $6,225 for a hit on Brock Purdy that involved contact to the head and neck area, while Nate Landman was docked $11,111 for unnecessary roughness tied to helmet use. The money from both fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation, but for a Rams team looking for a cleaner start, the bigger concern is limiting the kind of mistakes that pile up before a tough stretch can really settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Send A Clear Message About Their Linebacker Concerns vs Giants
The Rams kept shoring up their linebacker room ahead of Monday nights matchup with the Giants, activating Elias Neal from the practice squad as they continue to manage some uncertainty at the position. Omar Speights and Nate Landman have both been dealing with injuries, but both are expected to be active, which gives Los Angeles a little more stability in the middle of the defense entering a game where depth could matter.
Neal, an undrafted free agent signed in 2024, gives the Rams another body for a group that has been tested by the injury report and a useful presence on special teams. Even with Speights and Landman trending toward playing, the decision to bring Neal up underscores how carefully the Rams are handling the linebacker spot as they prepare for the Giants. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Have One Monday Night Scoring Edge Fans Should Watch
Monday night gives the Rams another chance to lean on the same offensive pieces that shaped their opener, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both drawing attention in the scoring market. Los Angeles has reasons to believe it can create chances against a Giants defense that showed some early vulnerability, and the setup points to another game where the Rams backs and playmakers could matter in the red zone.
Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart are among the New York names to watch on the other side, but the Rams biggest edge may come from how they manage the scoring opportunities that appear in the first place. Week 1 offered enough defensive questions for both teams to make this feel less like a clean matchup and more like a game where one early finish near the goal line could set the tone. [Read more 🡒]