foxnews
The Los Angeles Rams' 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium was a glaring failure that has made the team's preseason Super Bowl hype appear misguided. The defeat marked the Rams' second consecutive home loss and left them in last place in the NFC West, prompting widespread criticism of those who had tabbed them as favorites.
Earlier in the season, the Rams' issues were overlooked. When star offseason acquisition Myles Garrett wasn't immediately given help for his troubled knee during training camp, observers waited until his self-described "worst version of myself" performance in the season opener to address the matter. Garrett, now eligible to return from injured reserve, remains uncertain for this week following his Sept. 14 surgery.
The team also drew scrutiny for its travel schedule to Australia, where they arrived just 36 hours before a season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, while the 49ers had spent a week acclimating. That sluggish performance was excused, but Sunday's collapse against the Cardinals cannot be ignored.
"You know," coach Sean McVay said after the loss, "we won't win a game unless we figure out how not to beat ourselves." The Rams boast significant talent: a quarterback who was the NFL's MVP last season, Garrett (a two-time Defensive Player of the Year), Aaron Donald (coaxed out of retirement), and both of the Kansas City Chiefs' starting cornerbacks from last season. Those additions, combined with a trip to the NFC Championship game last season, justified the Super Bowl expectations.
However, the Rams have failed to deliver. In Week 3, they held a 16-0 halftime lead against the Denver Broncos but collapsed in the second half, losing 30-26. In Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills, they accomplished something never done in NFL history: amassing over 400 total yards, 30-plus first downs, five touchdowns, a 50 percent third-down conversion rate, and zero turnovers—yet still lost 37-34.
Sunday's opponent, the Cardinals, featured first-time head coach Mike LaFleur trying to change the culture, had traded former first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. last week, and faced trade rumors surrounding other players. Yet Arizona matched the Rams and seemed a step ahead defensively against Stafford and company, who made too many mistakes.
"A lot of different guys are taking their turn [making mistakes]," McVay admitted. "I talk about it, we try to harp on it, and we've got to figure it out. We don't have those answers right now otherwise it would have gotten fixed. We've had some really critical errors at unfortunate times. But that's what our narrative has been for this year."
That narrative—trusting the Rams—has made many look foolish. The team's early-season struggles have turned the Super Bowl favorites into a cautionary tale.
Originally reported by foxnews.