The Rams’ special teams have become a problem that goes well beyond the kicking game.
Los Angeles sits dead last in special teams this season, a brutal spot for a team carrying big expectations while also trying to survive a wave of key injuries. The early focus was easy enough: another shaky kicker. But the issues have spread across almost every part of the unit, and the question now is why it has taken so long to clean things up.
The Rams already went through a similar mess in 2025, waiting until Week 9 to make a change at field goal kicker. By then, Joshua Karty had hit just 10 of 15 field goals and 23 of 26 extra points. This year, the team moved on from Harrison Mevis after only five games.
Still, swapping kickers only scratches the surface.
One of the more glaring snapshots of the season came on Greg Rousseau’s block of a field goal. Buffalo overloaded the left side of the line, the center was left with nobody to block, and a tight end had to take on four defenders on the left end. Rousseau simply stepped across the line, stood up and timed his jump perfectly to get a hand on the ball as it left Harrison Mevis’ foot.
The holder is part of the conversation, too. Punter Ethan Evans has been the common link for both kickers, since both Karty and Mevis got off to fast starts before fading badly.
If the Rams keep digging, Evans’ numbers won’t help his case. His 47.4 gross average ranks 20th, and his 38.2 net average sits 30th.
The comparison to Kansas City makes the point even louder: the Chiefs’ 47.3 net punting average is basically the same as Evans’ gross.
Evans is kicking himself off the Rams’ roster.
There are other places where Los Angeles needs help, especially in coverage. The addition of cornerback Damarion Williams looks like a move in the right direction.
Known as “Pepe” with the Baltimore Ravens, Williams earned his reputation as a special teams standout on punt and kickoff coverage. Baltimore released him after an injury, and he has had trouble sticking on an NFL roster since.
The Rams keep adding free agents to their special teams mix, hoping one of them brings a real upgrade. Williams could be part of that answer. Back in 2022, he split time between defense and special teams and finished with 24 tackles.
The overall picture is ugly, but the fix may not require a total overhaul. If new kicker Blake Grupe gives the Rams steady production, tight games become winnable again. And if Williams and others improve the punt and kickoff coverage units, the defense should start getting better field position.
Bubba Ventrone is the man under the most pressure. Special teams coordinator is a hot-seat job by nature, and he has already started reshaping the group after taking over the first wave of specialists he inherited.
Les Snead is also leaning in, especially after a busy stretch of roster moves following a disappointing Week 5 loss. More changes could still be coming if the unit doesn’t snap back soon.
In Other News...
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For the Rams, the matchup is another reminder that the league keeps circling back to relationships as much as schemes. McVay has spoken highly of Mike LaFleurs impact, and Stafford has too, which makes this one feel a little different than a standard division game. Theres still the usual stake of a divisional test, but theres also the added layer of two coaches who know each other well and an offense trying to stay ahead of a defense that has seen plenty of the same concepts from the same coaching line. [Read more 🡒]
Rashod Bateman Trade Buzz Could Put Ravens In A Tough Spot
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Bateman has shown enough this season to keep his name in the conversation, with one touchdown, 16 catches and 233 receiving yards in five games. For the Rams, any move of this sort would be about adding another reliable target and reshaping the passing game around the stretch run, while the possibility of a deal could leave Baltimore weighing whether it can afford to part with a receiver who still has plenty of value in the market. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Get A Timely Break As Their Biggest Weakness Gets Tested
The Rams head into their meeting with Arizona with one of the more uncomfortable numbers on their early-season ledger, a run defense that has been pushed near the bottom of the league. For a team that has worked to stabilize the back end, the front has been the clearer weak spot, even as the pass defense has shown real progress by holding up better than it did a season ago and getting after quarterbacks with more consistency.
Arizonas injury report offers Los Angeles a little breathing room in a game that could have forced that issue immediately. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love has been ruled out with an ankle injury, which takes away a key element of the Cardinals ground game and changes the way the Rams have to prepare for a matchup that was already going to put their run fits under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]