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In Week 4, the Los Angeles Rams were dealt a difficult defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears, 24-18.
A late fourth-quarter Matthew Stafford interception, a second-quarter fumble, and a missed field goal just before the half ultimately proved costly. But the Rams didn't have to rely on a series of flukes to stay competitive like in Week 3, or take a brutal, buzzer-to-buzzer L like in Week 2 but instead played more like Week 1, where LA kept things close but simply failed to execute more efficiently than their foes.
Sure, they still lost, but after one of the weirdest months of professional football fans will ever see, maybe the Rams are finally figuring out how to play like a normal football team despite having a dozen players either on IR or the injury report. Unfortunately, they're facing off against one of the better teams in the NFC in Week 5 in the Green Bay Packers, who just so happen to have a run game that could decimate LA in only their second home game of the season so far.
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1. The Los Angeles Rams get demolished on the ground
If there's one area of the field where opposing teams can attack the Rams, it's on the ground.
Through the first four games of the season, Los Angeles has been absolutely gashed, allowing an astounding 662 yards. That is good for the worst mark in the entire NFL. They've also allowed five touchdowns on the ground, which ranks 20th and have allowed 133 rushing attempts on the year, which comes in just three spots shy of the worst mark in the NFL. Things have gotten so bad that through four weeks, the Rams have somehow allowed 5.0 yards per carry, an incredible volume that has not only limited their overall defensive efficiency but has routinely placed their opponents in third-and-short situations that can stress a defense even further.
But why? Are the team's young defensive linemen simply not yet ready to shut down the run at the point of attack, routinely allowing opposing rushers to make it to the second level or beyond? Or are the Rams still reeling from the absence of Ernest Jones, who is playing incredibly up to his typical standards in Tennessee after being traded for peanuts back in August?
Either way, the Rams have to figure out a way to stop the run if they are ever going to have something resembling a functional defense, and even if Chris Shula can accomplish that feat, it probably won't happen in Week 5 against a Packers team that has found a ton of success on the ground in 2024.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, and company have picked up an astounding 698 yards on the ground on 130 attempts, the second and fifth-best marks in the NFL. Now granted, those numbers are somewhat inflated by Malik Willis, who recorded 114 rushing yards on 12 attempts over his three appearances for the team so far this season, but even still, the team is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, which is just slightly higher than what Los Angeles is giving up this season.
Needless to say, if Matt LaFleur commits himself to 20-25 carries in the game, the Rams will be in trouble.
2. Matthew Stafford airs it out against the Packers' defense
While it's a borderline lock that the Rams will lose the rushing game in Week 5, as they've only run the ball for more than 100 yards once this season versus three by the Packers, the passing game should be a whole lot more competitive. Why? Because Stafford is having a classic season in Los Angeles while Jordan Love is set to make his return after spending the last few weeks on the shelf with an MCL sprain
Taking the field with an increasingly desperate supporting cast, Stafford's efficiency in the pocket hasn't waned, with Stafford throwing for 317 yards in Week 1 with an almost fully loaded depth chart before dipping down into the low 200 yards from Week 2-4. Still, his 68.5 completion percentage is above his overall career total of 62.6 and even his Rams total of 65.9, even if his yards-per-attempt and his yards-per-game are both down ever so slightly.
In Week 5, the Rams have the luxury of facing off against a Packers team that, despite being 2-2, has struggled against the pass, allowing 922 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns on 83 completions. Despite their best efforts, the Packers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 63.8 percent of their passes, and even if much of their passing issues have resulted from being in weekly shootouts, they still are allowing 32.5 attempts per game, which, coincidentally enough, is the same number of passing attempts Stafford throws per game.
If Stafford can complete 32.5 passes in Week 5 against a team allowing 11.108 yards per completion on the season, fans could be in for a treat, as that would mean the pride of Georgia would put up 361 yards in the game, or the 22nd highest passing yard total of his 16 year NFL career.
3. The Rams drop to 1-4… right?
So, if the Rams are able to put up 360 yards through the air, even if they take a beating on the ground, that would likely lead to a Los Angeles win, right?
At this point, is it even ethical for anyone to predict a Rams victory at this point?
In Week 1, having faith in the Rams made sense, as they came a few plays away from securing the win. In Week 2, the Rams were the favorites but were absolutely dominated. In Week 3, they somehow defeated the 49ers despite both teams being severely injured. And in Week 4? The Rams lost once more, 24-21, in a game where they had a chance to score the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left to play.
Based on preseason evaluations alone, the Packers are probably the third-best team the Rams have faced off against this season, trailing the Lions and 49ers but a shoulder above both the Bears and the Cardinals. Then again, considering the Rams are 1-1 against the former group but 0-2 behind the latter, that doesn't really say much, either. Bet on the Rams if you want, but until McVay's team is back to full strength, they are one tough team to figure out.
