Rams Remain Unable to Close This Glaring Gap

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams have had to deal with a pleothora of Special Teams failures throughout the season, failures that have led to losses against Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle this season.

After massive changes to the unit, the hope was that the issues were fixed. After their Wild Card performance against the Carolina Panthers, where Ethan Evans final punt of the game was blocked, leading to a go-ahead score late in the fourth, plus another near block on a Harrison Mevis kick, it's clear that while improvements have been made, the Rams remain far away from a solution to their perpetual issues.

McVay Addresses the Issue

On Monday, Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked for his evaluation of the Special Teams, remaining fairly positive regarding their operation.

“I feel good," stated McVay. "I think what's interesting is there have obviously been some things…the margin of error is small. The one that we did have, I think we've covered better. I think we've done a good job. I think guys are playing with a sense of urgency and one guy ends up missing a block where we are beating an overload and it's on the opposite side. It's a similar thing that they had done earlier in the game. The guy made a good play and we didn't execute the way that we're capable of. That's a player that I trust will learn from it."

"Sometimes it doesn't go down the way that we want, but there were some positives. I think our kicking operation has been outstanding. I think we've covered kicks a lot better. I think that punt operation was a key and critical error that we have to be able to correct, but I think that's something that we can do a better job of in terms of our player being able to execute. This is a player that I believe in. He made a mistake, and we learn from it and we grow.”

The Root of the Issue

How much more will the Rams be willing to tolerate before the failures of the Special Teams impact team building and roster design? If coaching is the root of the problem, why did everything start to go sideways in 2025? While the Rams have had kicking issues in the past, those issues have since compounded into failures with their protection unit for kicking and punting.

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams place kicker Harrison Mevis (92) kicks a PAT against the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In my opinion, there is too much movement on Special Teams, and constantly retrofitting the unit with players left over has created a product that is inconsistent and vulnerable to manipulation. Outside of Troy Reeder, who doubles as the main backup linebacker, the Rams do not have a stand alone Special Teamer.

The New England Patriots remain the gold standard for Special Teams because they prioritize players like Matthew Slater in the past and Brenden Schooler in the present. Until the Rams re-establish that core group, these problems will continue to exist.

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