Forget the Super Bowl, the Rams Are Fighting for Their Playoff Lives

After the Rams fell to the Bills in an overtime thriller on Monday night, the bright side was that their schedule was set to ease up. Following a five-game start featuring games against the 49ers, Giants, Broncos, Eagles and Bills, the Rams’ next five contests were against the Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals again, a slate that could easily see the Rams go 5–0.

Or not.

The Rams dropped the first of the five-game slate Sunday, losing to the Cardinals, 18–16, in one of the most stunning upsets of the season. Now, both the Rams and Cardinals are 2–4, and Los Angeles has slipped to last place in the NFC West.

At this point, the runaway Super Bowl favorites in the preseason must simply focus on earning a spot in the playoffs, a far cry from where they were expected to be at this time of the season. As the Rams accept their new fate, here are five numbers that defined their loss to the Cardinals.

16

The number of points the Rams scored in the loss. Entering Sunday’s game, the Cardinals ranked last in the league in points allowed, giving up 32.4 points per game. The Rams managed only half of that, an unacceptable figure for a powerhouse offense that is largely healthy. They struggled to drive the ball in the first half, going three-and-out three times. In the second half, their scoring attempts were stalled by a fumble and a failed fourth down attempt.

0

The number of times the Rams sacked Jacoby Brissett on Sunday. The Rams’ defensive line is supposed to be a strength, yet they struggle to take down the quarterback on a regular basis. They’ve tallied just eight sacks through the first six games despite having a line featuring players such as Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Aaron Donald and Braden Fiske. The Rams certainly are missing Myles Garrett, who has been on injured reserve since Week 2 with a knee injury. At this point, his return is the Rams’ best chance at sparking their pass rush.

4.8

Matthew Stafford’s air yards per attempt in the loss to the Cardinals. According to ESPN’s Ben Solak, this is the third-lowest AYPA he has averaged in a start since joining the Rams in 2021. The Bills focused on limiting the Rams’ explosive pass plays in their win last Monday, and it appears the Cardinals followed that approach as well, limiting Stafford from beating them deep.

The Rams entered this game leading the league in yards (424.4) and passing yards (307.6), but Arizona, who ranked 25th in passing yards allowed per game (236.8), held Stafford to 222 yards and the offense to 286 total yards.

10

The number of carries Kyren Williams saw in the Rams’ loss. Williams seemed frustrated by the low number. When asked after the game why the Rams couldn’t maintain their energy from drive to drive, he said, “Can’t tell you, bro. Probably because I’m not out there,” per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop.

Williams might have a point. Despite averaging 5.0 yards per carry, he carried the ball only 10 times—even though the Rams never trailed by more than six points. The Rams do split carries between him and Blake Corum, but Corum carried the ball just nine times. Nineteen carries isn’t a terribly low number, but there’s certainly a case to be made that the Rams should run the ball more, especially since both backs averaged 4.7 or more yards per carry and the passing game was inefficient.

22%

The swing in the Rams’ playoff odds by losing to the Cardinals, per Next Gen Stats. According to Brett Kollman, the Rams had a 70% chance of making the playoffs if they had beaten the Cardinals. With the loss, that number drops to just 48%. There is still plenty of time for Los Angeles to rally and earn a playoff berth, but it’s no longer a “gimme.” The Rams still have to play the Seahawks twice and the 49ers again, as well as matchups against the Chiefs and Packers. A 10–7 record could be enough for the Rams to make the playoffs, but it’s far from a given that the Rams lose three or fewer games at this point.

The bright side for the Rams is they have been here before in the Sean McVay–Matthew Stafford era. In 2023, L.A. started the season 3–6 before winning seven of its final eight games to make the postseason. The following year, it started 1–4 before finishing 9–3 to win the division and make the playoffs. The Rams did not win the Super Bowl or reach the NFC championship game in either of those years, but also didn’t let a slow start keep them out of the playoffs.

Four more numbers that defined Week 4 of the NFL season

243

The number of yards J.J. McCarthy passed for in the fourth quarter against the Saints. Per NFL researcher, this is the third-most yards McCarthy has thrown for in any game, and the third-most yards thrown in the fourth quarter of a game over the last decade, trailing only Dak Prescott in 2020 and Josh Allen in 2025. McCarthy entered for a benched Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter and gave the Giants a chance to win. Now, New York must decide on its starter before next week’s game against the Texans.

83.3%

Caleb Williams’s completion percentage in the Bears’ win over the Falcons on Sunday, the highest in a single game in his career. Completion percentage has been a point of emphasis since coach Ben Johnson took over. It was something Williams struggled to find consistency with a season ago, as he completed only 58.1% of his passes, which ranked 34th. Through three starts this season, he has a 72.5% completion percentage. It’s a small sample size, but he’s on track to reach one of his prior goals of completing at least 70% of his passes.

3

The number of sacks cornerback Kyler Gordon recorded in his first game back from injury. Safe to say, Gordon’s return made a big difference in the Bears’ 31–23 win over the Falcons. According to Mina Kimes, Gordon had eight pass rush snaps and recorded five quick pressures and three sacks as a blitzer. He also forced two fumbles. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had been sacked only four times through three games entering Sunday’s matchup, but was sacked five times by Chicago.

8

The number of teams that did not allow a single sack on Sunday. The Texans, Jags, Saints, Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Chiefs and Raiders all did not give up a sack during their games, going 6–2 in these matchups. One of the two losers was the Jaguars, who did not record a sack against the Texans. Perhaps this is what happens when Brian Flores’s blitzes are on bye, but it was not a great day for a number of non-Kyler Gordon pass rushes that failed to get on the board. It was, however, an encouraging performance for the offensive lines of these squads, all of whom have been susceptible to giving up sacks in the past.

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