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In the NFL, there are no moral victories, right Los Angeles Rams fans?
Despite all of their efforts, the Rams have officially started the 2024 season 0-1, are tied for the worst record in the NFC West with the Cardinals, and will need to rebound hard versus Arizona next week to avoid losing critical positioning in the standings while competing in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
And yet, if there was ever a moral victory, this would be it, as the Rams fought the Lions with everything they had despite suffering a consistent string of injuries and ended regulation tied up 20-all, even if they quickly saw a Cinderella revenge game come to an ugly end on the only drive of overtime. If the Rams got what they expected from these four players, maybe the outcome of the night would have been different.
1. The Rams' offensive line
When the story of the Rams' Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions is written, it's borderline impossible not to mention the injuries to the offensive line – and across the board, really – early and often in the tale.
Heading into the week with a pretty serious deficit already, considering left tackle Rob Havenstein was out with an ankle injury and left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended, the Rams lost both of their left-side TCU defenders over the course of the game in Joseph Noteboom and Steve Avila, who exited the contest with an ankle and knee injury, respectively. Forced to shuffle their line around considerably as the game went on, Stafford ended up with three linemen playing new positions as the game went into overtime, with practice squad tackle A.J. Arcuri taking over for Noteboom at left tackle, center Jonah Jackson kicking it back to left guard to replace Avila – ironic, I know – and rookie sixth-round pick Beaux Limmer thrust into snapping duties.
Needless to say, the results weren't what you would call ideal.
On the night, Stafford was sacked only twice, but he was constantly under pressure, with the Lions' defense picking up 12 QB hits, including four from Detroit's cornerstone pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, in a truly dominant effort. The Rams' rushing attack never really got off the ground because of the dysfunction up front, with Kyren Williams averaging just 2.8 yards per attempt on the way to an 18-carry, 50-yard night, and even though Stafford predictably let it fly to the tune of 304 yards through the air, passing concepts were largely limited to short and intermediate work, as McVay simply couldn't trust his line to keep his QB upright long enough to execute deep vertical concepts.
And the worst part? With Jackson still suspended for Week 2, Avila's injury looking fairly serious, and Havenstein still a question mark, it's entirely possible the Rams could find themselves in a similar boat next week, too, with a free agent signing or two needed to fortify the position.
2. Tre'Davious White
When the Rams signed Tre-Davious White to a one-year, $4.25 million contract after being released by the Bills, fans around the NFL openly wondered how much the former two-time Buffalo All-Pro had left in the chamber.
After Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, it's safe to say fans are still asking that same question.
Coming off of a torn Achilles tendon that cost him all but four games last season, Les Snead and the Rams clearly bet on White returning to his vintage form, when he was drafted in the first round out of LSU and made a pair of Pro Bowls for being one of the premier covermen in the NFL. He had toughness in man coverage, solid ball skills – picking off 18 passes in 82 games – and the athletic gifts to back his production up, running a 4.47 coming out of LSU back in 2017.
Unfortunately, that speed simply didn't show up against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, as after drawing the unfortunate assignment of Alabama speedster Jameson Williams on multiple occasions, he was burned on an absolutely brutal touchdown down the left side of the field, eating hard on a double move before running for his life in a fruitless attempt to keep six points off the board.
Now granted, this was just one game, and there are few cornerbacks who can keep up with Williams when he gets up to full speed, but White certainly didn't look like the kind of player who could earn up to $10 million if all of the conditions of his contract are met, let alone the obvious choice to stick on the outside when Darious Williams comes off of IR later this year.
Factor in the efforts of 2022 fourth-round pick Cobie Durant, who actually played very well in Detroit, facing off largely against Amon-Ra St. Brown, and it's worth wondering what kind of role White will have down the stretch if he continues to struggle over the next month.
3. Puka Nacua's injury
For the first quarter or so of Week 1, Puka Nacua looked like he hadn't missed a step from 2023, picking up chunk yardage with his route-running abilities and speed-to-power in the passing game but unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, as after catching all four of his passes to start out the game, the pride of BYU ended up leaving the game with a knee injury.
Now granted, losing WR17 to a knee injury isn't why the Rams lost, as their inability to stop David Montgomery on the first drive of overtime was the clear deciding factor, but on the dozen or so targets that went to receivers like Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson down the stretch, one has to wonder if Nacua would have done more with what he was given.
