The Los Angeles Rams arrived this season with plenty of noise around them, but the early results have landed them in a very different place. At 2-4 and sitting last in the NFC West, Sean McVay’s team is trying to stop a slide after consecutive losses to the Buffalo Bills and the Arizona Cardinals.
That decline is exactly what Chris Canty targeted on Tuesday’s edition of “First Take.” Canty brushed aside the “superteam” buzz that had followed the Rams into the season and said the promise has already fallen apart.
"It's a wrap man. They just lost to a team that didn't score an offensive touchdown," Canty said.
"They lost to a team that kicked six field goals. The Arizona Cardinals got more wins at SoFi Stadium this year than the Chargers and the Rams combined.
That's an issue. Let me say it this way.
I knew this Rams team could run into a little bit of trouble, because superteams never work in the NFL.
"When you bring in guys to play different roles from an X's and O's standpoint, but also from a leadership standpoint, it's always going to be challenging. There's always going to be a learning curve.
And then you couple that with the fact that it is a top-heavy roster, and when you have guys injured that exacerbates the depth or lack thereof, you get these results. ... They've got some problems.
We're starting to see some cracks in the foundation when it comes to the Rams."
The Cardinals did not need an offensive touchdown to take the game. Chad Ryland knocked through six field goals to help Arizona end a four-game losing streak and leave the Rams with another damaging defeat.
Matthew Stafford finished 25-of-33 for 222 yards and two touchdowns for Los Angeles. Jacoby Brissett went 24-of-35 for 218 yards with one interception and no touchdown. On paper, it was a game the Rams should have been able to finish off.
Afterward, McVay did not hide his frustration. In his postgame press conference, he said the Rams need to regroup and sort out what is going wrong.
"We have a lot to look at ourselves on," McVay said. "We have to be able to go back to the drawing board and figure out how we improve. Because, like I just told you guys, we have to be able to not beat ourselves before we figure out how we even come away with some of the results.
"It's not even good enough. I got to do a much better job. There's nothing positive that I can say about today."
The Rams’ next shot comes Oct. 25 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In Other News...
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For the Rams, the larger issue is not a television rumor so much as the reminder that McVays future has never felt entirely settled. He has previously considered retirement, and no official announcement has been made about any plans either way, but the mere possibility of a move away from coaching adds another layer of uncertainty for a franchise trying to steady itself in 2026. Even if nothing is imminent, it is now a storyline worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
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Rams Kicking Problem Just Forced Another Veteran Into The Picture
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The move is still contingent on a physical, but if it goes through, McManus would become the Rams third kicker of the 2026 season. It is an unusual level of turnover for a position the team would rather not think about, and it leaves Los Angeles hoping the latest veteran addition finally brings some lasting certainty. [Read more 🡒]