There is no sense of panic.
Not, at least, among the Rams.
They are 1-4. On the brink of possibly falling out of playoff contention.
But if desperation was entirely fitting for the situation, it also was notably absent this week as coach Sean McVay and his players prepared for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.
It’s still early, it can be said: Not even a third of the Rams’ season is complete.
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So while several players noted a heightened sense of urgency on the practice field, it presented instead as quiet confidence in the locker room.
The Rams, after all, overcame a similar predicament last season. After a defeat by the Green Bay Packers, they entered the break in the schedule with a 3-6 record. They came out of it and won seven of their last eight games to make the playoffs.
“Nobody panicked,” edge rusher Byron Young said. “Nobody gave up — and that was the biggest thing. Nobody just said, ‘Oh well, the season’s over with.’
“It was more like, ‘This is an opportunity for us to come back from adversity.’”
As positive as the Rams’ attitude might be, there is no escaping reality. If they lose to the Raiders, they will be 1-5 heading into a “Thursday Night Football” game against the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.
Only four teams in NFL history have started 1-5 and made the playoffs. Washington did it most recently in 2020 despite finishing 7-9.
“It would be lying if we said we didn’t want to start 5-0 — but we didn’t,” veteran linebacker Troy Reeder said. “And now … we’ve left less room for those flaws later in the year.
“But having done it last year, it instills a confidence not that it’s going to happen on its own, but we’re capable of making it happen.”
After losing to the Detroit Lions in overtime in the season opener, the Rams got routed by the Arizona Cardinals. They bounced back to defeat the similarly injury-plagued San Francisco 49ers, and then lost to the Chicago Bears and the Packers.
During the week off, coaches reviewed film and pondered personnel and scheme adjustments.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford referenced last season, when the Rams returned from the off week and narrowly defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 17-16, to start their run.
“It wasn’t like we went in there and won 40-10 — that’s not the NFL,” Stafford said. “It’s continuing to stack good days on top of each other, finding ways to win football games even if you don’t play your best in certain areas, which is inevitable in this league, and just trying to do the things that it takes to win games.”
The Rams could be getting help. Not from the outside, but from within.
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Star receiver Cooper Kupp, who sat out three games because of an ankle injury, practiced this week and appeared on track to play against the Raiders. Offensive lineman Joe Noteboom (ankle) also practiced and could be activated from injured reserve.
Receiver Puka Nacua, linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III are others who could be activated from injured reserve in the coming weeks.
Can the Rams remain relevant until they return?
Veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon does not acknowledge the Rams’ record, good or bad. He said it is only an “illusion” that can influence a mindset.
The Rams did not change their approach after 2023’s slow start, they just kept working, Witherspoon said.
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“So by the time that the tide started turning,” he said, “we were just doing the same thing, but the ball was just kind of bouncing in our favor.”
The playoffs “aren’t tomorrow” and the NFC West title is far from decided, outside linebacker Michael Hoecht said. Veterans must show rookies the way.
“In college you lose four games and it’s goodbye,” Hoecht said. “In the NFL, that’s not the case. … There’s a lot of football in front of us.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
