Rams Midweek Report: A Concerning Trend on Offense, Matthew Stafford's Elbow, and Trade Buzz

Through the first eight weeks of the NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams’ offense has been productive but inconsistent, to say the least. The Rams rank fourth in yards per game and third in offensive success rate. However, after failing to score 20 points against the Arizona Cardinals before scoring 35 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Rams went three-and-out on their first five possessions last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. That was something that a Rams offense hadn’t done this century.

The Rams’ offense has had its games in which it has looked like a top-5 unit. However, they have struggled to find consistency. For an offense that made things look easy at times in 2025, the Rams have looked condensed and lacked the same level of explosiveness.

There is certainly some context to that as Davante Adams and Puka Nacua have each missed games. Terrance Ferguson has also been out since Week 3. At the same time, the Rams haven’t pushed the ball down the field very often.

Through eight weeks this season, the Rams’ passing game has an explosive play rate of just 4.1 percent. At this point last year, the passing game had an explosive play rate of 17.5 percent and it was 18.2 percent for the season.

The passing game is less than one-fourth as explosive as it was last year. That lack of explosiveness certainly helps explain some of the Rams’ troubles scoring consistently. Picking up yards hasn’t been an issue. The Rams also rank sixth in touchdown rate once they get into the red zone.

However, the Rams rank just 16th in points per play and have the seventh most plays per drive. The Rams are having to work extremely hard for their points because they have struggled to generate explosive plays.

Since Davante Adams went down with an injury, the Rams have just one passing play over 20 yards, and it was the 40-yard pass to Tutu Atwell last week. They have an overall explosive play rate of 5.8 percent, which ranks 27th.

The Rams have found success out of 13 personnel, but at some point the Rams need to be able to throw the ball. It’s easy to run against inferior teams when the game script is in your favor. However, when that goes south against a true contender, they need to be able to have confidence in their passing game. The eventual return of Ferguson and Adams will help, but is it enough?

Two of Matthew Stafford’s 10 lowest single-game averages in intended air yards per attempt have come this season. He has had four straight games averaging under six intended air yards per pass attempt. Over the last four weeks, Stafford has an average depth of target of 5.5 yards, ranking 25 out of 27 quarterbacks.

That’s simply not a world the Rams can live in consistently. When the quarterback isn’t pushing the ball down the field, there’s more pressure on the skill players to create after the catch.. Outside of Puka Nacua, there isn’t anybody the Rams trust to do that.

The Rams may be able to manage the situation until their bye week. However, it’s also a reason why adding a third wide receiver is so imperative to their success over the second half of the year.

What We Know About Matthew Stafford's Arm Soreness

One of the big stories coming out of Sunday’s game was Matthew Stafford being seen leaving the locker room with a bag of ice around his arm. Coincidentally, after not showing up on the injury report all season, Stafford was listed with a right elbow injury this week.

Despite Stafford saying he’s fine, this isn’t something to completely sweep under the rug either. It’s well known that Stafford is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. It will take more than an elbow injury to keep him out.

“Listen, I'm 38 years old trying to keep up with these young bucks,” said Stafford on Wednesday. “A little bit of soreness and stuff that is not uncommon this time of year. Again, I haven’t missed a rep at practice. I haven’t missed a rep in a game and I feel good. I'm not too worried about it.”

That’s what anybody would expect Stafford to say. He’s not going to let on that he’s in more pain than he’s actually in or dealing with something that would be considered concerning. Here’s what I will say, and it has since been confirmed to me by multiple sources.

According to Doug McCain of 97.1 The Fan LA, who is highly connected in LA Sports, Stafford suffered an elbow injury against the Denver Broncos, specifically when trying to tackle Talanoa Hufanga on the pick-6. It reportedly got to a point where the team was considering surgery. However, Stafford has opted to play through it and try to get right.

The Rams have a history of downplaying injuries. Look no further than this season with Myles Garrett. You can also point to Stafford’s back injury prior to last season and his elbow injury in 2022. Again, Stafford is going to try and play through it, which he has done successfully up to this point. At the same time, it is a situation worth monitoring.

Will Myles Garrett Make His Return Against the Commanders?

This week, the Rams opened up Myles Garrett’s practice window. The Rams will now have 21 days to opt to take Garrett off of injured reserve and put him on the active roster. It’s important to clarify that just because the Rams activated Garrett’s practice window, it does not mean he will play on Sunday. His return could still happen after the bye week, as that would be when his 21-day practice window expires.

With that said, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that when Garrett gets on the field for practice, it should all happen quickly. The expectation is for Garrett to play this week, but the Rams have prioritized a return to performance, not just a return to play.

“It's about that return to performance and a lot of it's going to be predicated on his communication and feedback to us,” McVay said. “Ultimately, being able to see that hopefully the expectation is he's ready to rock this week.”

Garrett practicing this week is certainly a positive. If he does play, it seems unlikely that he would play every snap on defense. The Rams have a strong rotation with Josaiah Stewart and Wesley Bailey. They will likely lean on that. The important thing is for Garrett to get on the field and feel like himself.

Rams Have Made Calls Ahead of NFL Trade Deadline

Things have remained quiet on the trade front for the Rams. However, that doesn’t mean they haven’t made calls or been monitoring certain situations. The Rams may not be players at the deadline, but they have at least done their due diligence.

What I will say is that they have called on wide receivers, specifically Josh Downs and Brian Thomas Jr. However, if a move does get done, it won’t happen until next week. According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Colts are trying to maximize draft capital out of their roster and believe teams could up their offers after Sunday as the trade deadline gets closer.

Schultz named Downs as one of the players to monitor who could be on the move. However, after willingly giving up Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner last week, the Colts are holding out on players like Downs and Jonathan Taylor. Right now, it appears the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs are the main players on Downs, but the Rams have called.

3 Things I Think

1. The Rams Should Give Brennan Presley a Shot at Punt Returner

Earlier this week, the Rams cut wide receiver and returner Alex Bachman before re-signing him to their practice squad. As of now, it appears the Rams may be handing return duties over to Kyren Williams or Tutu Atwell. With that said, Williams is unlikely to offer more as a returner than Bachman and risks getting hurt. Atwell hasn’t returned punts since his rookie season, when he got hurt doing so.

Brennan Presley earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors as a returner in 2022. He’s performed well in his preseason opportunities. Presley is exactly the type of player who should be a primary special teams contributor. It seems worth at least bringing him up to see what he can do.

2. Activating Ronnie Rivers Is A Questionable Decision

When Dean Connors was placed on injured reserve this week, the Rams activated Ronnie Rivers’ practice window and he’s set to return to the active roster. This is certainly an interesting move, and I’m not sure it’s the right one. Rivers’ biggest impact will come on special teams. That’s replaceable. Teams only get eight return designations off of injured reserve in a season. With Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner, Davante Adams, Terrance Ferguson, and Keagen Trost, the Rams will have used five of them. Rivers will make it six, leaving them with just two more. The Rams would get two additional return designations if they make the playoffs, but it seems risky to use one on a player who is a depth piece at best.

3. Rams Can't Afford to Ignore Wide Receiver at the Trade Deadline

It’s possible that if the Rams were healthy, they may be more aggressive at the trade deadline. McVay compared this season to 2022 based on the number of injuries the team has had. With that said, this team has navigated those injuries well and is in a much better spot. The core of this roster has battled back from 3-6 and 1-4 and shown that they don’t just roll on their backs and quit.

Last season, it was obvious that the Rams needed a cornerback and they made a low-risk move by trading for Roger McCreary to say that they did something. If the Rams make that level of move or don’t make a trade at all, it could be something we look back at in January and ask why the front office didn’t do more for a second straight year.

Around the Rams

The Rams signed kicker Joshua Karty on Thursday to the active roster, signaling that the dirty kickoffs are here to stay. They also signed former Rams cornerback David Long to the practice squad for some added cornerback depth.

As it stands, the Rams have 52 players on the active roster and it will drop to 51 once Watson is placed on injured reserve. The Rams will need to make one more move to open up a spot for Myles Garrett, Terrance Ferguson, and Ronnie Rivers if the plan is to activate all three this week.

From the Injury Report

After losing Jaylen Watson for the season this week, the Rams could be without both of their starting cornerbacks on Sunday. The Rams just got Trent McDuffie back in the lineup last week, but he hurt his back late in the game against the Chargers. McDuffie missed practice for a second straight day.

The same can be said about Colby Parkinson and safety Kam Curl, who would both be missed if they were out for Sunday’s game. Grant Stuard and Joe Cardona were non-participants as well.

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