The Los Angeles Rams are not playing like a top contender in the NFC

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – At 5-6, the Los Angeles Rams are not yet out of the playoff hunt. But Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles showed how far they are from keeping up with the NFC’s best teams.

According to ESPN Analytics, the Rams have a 14.8% chance of making the playoffs and a 12.5% ​​chance of winning the division.

Los Angeles is one game behind the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, who lead the NFC West. The Rams are in a direct tiebreaker against Seattle, but not against Arizona. The Rams finish their season by hosting the Seahawks in Week 17 and the Cardinals in Week 18.

But in the loss to the Eagles, it became clear that while the Rams could still make the playoffs in a mediocre NFC West, they weren’t playing like a top contender in the conference.

The offense – consisting of quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, and running back Kyren Williams – has struggled to score consistently this season. The unit scored a touchdown for only the second time in the first quarter on Sunday and then had minus-6 yards in the second quarter.

The Rams were 0-8 on third down, their first game since 2019 without a third-down conversion, although they were 3-3 on fourth down. According to ESPN Research, the Rams are the first team to go 0-8 or worse in third place in a game this season. It also marks the first time in Stafford’s career that his team has gone 0-for-8 or worse on third downs in a game he started.

The Rams struggled to finish their drives – as they have done most of this season – and were 2-4 in the red zone. Once again, coach Sean McVay said it was “execution” that kept the Rams from converting in the third and finding the end zone.

One of those red zone mistakes was a fumble by Williams on the Rams’ first drive – one in which the offense looked good moving the ball down the field. The Rams have only had two games this season where they didn’t turn the ball over, and Williams has had four fumbles (two lost) in his last four games. Asked after the game if he was worried about the fumbles, McVay said, “We definitely have to get better at that.”

“It’s tough, you’re close in some things, but for some reason you’re just not able to play the game,” Kupp said. “I need to get a better degree. And at the end of the day, I think it’s all about finding ways for guys to make plays and turn small plays into (explosive) ones.”

The Rams also need to better protect Stafford, who was sacked five times and hit 11 times in what McVay called a “tough night” protecting the quarterback. The Rams are missing right tackle Rob Havenstein, who injured his ankle in Week 9. He practiced leading up to the game against the Eagles but was listed as doubtful and did not play.

“We knew they had some pretty darn good guys, but we need to be able to do a better job consistently and give him a little more time,” McVay said. “And it wasn’t one specific person… but there were some really fast beats and we were able to look at that and see where we can get better.”

The Rams’ problems on Sunday were compounded by a powerful Eagles defense that ranks fifth in DVOA.

Los Angeles travels to New Orleans to play a Saints team that ranks 22nd in defensive DVOA on Sunday (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).

The young defense has carried the Rams at times this season after a tough start, but couldn’t stop the Eagles’ talented offense, including running back Saquon Barkley, who ran for 255 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and caught four passes for 47 yards.

While the Rams’ season is far from over, it’s clear that if they want to win the division and make the playoffs, they’re going to have to figure out how to correct the mistakes they seem to be making week in and week out.

“Yes, we do,” Kupp said when asked if he believes the Rams are a playoff team capable of beating teams like the Eagles. “I think that’s the mentality that each of us has adopted and we feel like we’re in the thick of it. It’s just that we haven’t been able to bring it all together the way we’d like, but it’s there, it’s just a matter of finding it.”