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Four weeks into the 2026 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams find themselves with a 2-2 record, but their special teams have been a glaring weakness. This situation draws parallels to the 2010 San Diego Chargers, who also started 2-2 and ultimately missed the playoffs due to disastrous special teams play. That Chargers team famously fielded the league's top-ranked offense and defense but had the 32nd-ranked special teams unit. Similarly, the Rams currently boast the No. 2 offense and No. 2 defense, yet their special teams rank 32nd. If they don't rectify these issues, the Rams could be on a similarly disappointing trajectory.
Special Teams Mistakes Are Piling Up
According to DVOA, the Rams' special teams rank 32nd at -14.5 percent. The four teams immediately ahead of them have a combined record of 0-16. In every game this season, the Rams have committed some sort of special teams error. In Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, they allowed a 45-yard kickoff return to start the second half, which quickly led to a 49ers touchdown and swung momentum. In Week 2 against the New York Giants, despite the win, Ethan Evans opened with a 38-yard punt, Harison Mevis missed a 43-yard field goal, Xavier Smith bobbled the opening kickoff of the second half, and Tanner Ingle took a 15-yard penalty on a kick return. Against the Denver Broncos, Smith again made poor decisions in the return game, Evans shanked a re-kick, and the Rams allowed a 28-yard return that gave the Broncos a short field. Neither of Denver's two third-quarter touchdown drives went more than 52 yards. Last week, special teams nearly cost the Rams again: they allowed a 41-yard punt return that set up the Philadelphia Eagles in the red zone, and Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal and had a kickoff go out of bounds.
To their credit, the Rams are actively trying to address these issues. Head coach Sean McVay acknowledged the need for improvement. "We need better," McVay said on Monday. "As it relates to the return game, you have to do a good job of holding up and doing better on some of the perimeter play. I thought we fielded the ball clean. The conditions were unique, but we have to be able to get some more production out of that. Obviously, I would have loved for us to have made that field goal kick, and then the long punt return is not good. We have to do a better job of casting a net, being able to tackle." The Rams cut punt returner Xavier Smith last week and also moved on from Tanner Ingle, both of whom had been responsible for key special teams errors. They also signed Maximus Pulley off the Eagles' practice squad, a solid special teams player, and this week added linebacker Eric Kendricks. Still, these changes are only scratching the surface.
Kicking Game Has Become a Liability
According to DVOA, the Rams' field goal unit ranks 28th at -4.0 percent, with only the Steelers, 49ers, Dolphins, and Falcons worse. Their kickoff unit also ranks 28th at -2.1 percent. Kicker Harrison Mevis has a long field goal of 48 yards this season and is one of just six kickers without a make over 50 yards. The Rams have lost 0.17 EPA per kick from Mevis, ranking 26th in the NFL. It would be one thing if Mevis were missing long field goals, but the Rams don't seem to trust his leg from deep. Mevis is 4-for-6 in his career from beyond 45 yards. The Rams have actively passed up 52-yard field goals and taken delay-of-game penalties to punt instead. Last week, they went for it on 4th-and-8 rather than attempt a 53-yard field goal. This isn't to say the Rams should revert to Joshua Karty, but Mevis is just 1-for-3 from 48 yards in his career, while Karty was 3-for-4 from 45+. That's not necessarily an endorsement of Karty, but rather an illustration of Mevis' inconsistency from range. His miss on Sunday against the Eagles was so far left it didn't even hit the kicking net behind the goal posts. The lack of confidence in Mevis has forced McVay to become more aggressive, which might be beneficial, but in today's NFL, a kicker must be able to convert from deep. Inside 45 yards, Mevis has been reliable, but some mistake reliability for excellence. Given Karty's inconsistencies, Mevis being 46-for-46 on extra points is a positive. However, 20 of his 26 career attempts have been inside 45 yards, and he's 19-for-20 on those. From 45+, Mevis is 4-for-6 (66.7 percent), below the NFL average of 73.4 percent. In an era where two first downs can put an offense in field goal range, the Rams need a kicker who is consistent inside 45 but also has the leg to hit from deep. They don't necessarily need to replace Mevis, but last year they brought in competition for Karty, and they should do the same now. Tanner Brown, signed as a rookie but cut before the preseason, was 29-for-32 in the UFL last year, missing only one field goal from inside 50 yards, and he made kicks from 60 and 63 yards.
Return Game Still Lacking an Answer
The Rams made a change at punt returner last week, replacing Smith with Alex Bachman. It was a necessary move, but hardly a solution—more of a band-aid. DVOA ranks the Rams' kick return unit 32nd at -6.4 percent and their punt return unit 27th at -2.2 percent. Their average starting field position is the 26.8-yard line, 29th in the NFL. Opponents average starting field position about 5.6 yards better than the Rams, a differential that ranks 27th. It remains to be seen if this improves without Smith over the next four weeks, but the Rams likely need to do more. The bar remains low: simply catch the ball and make good decisions. Bachman did that last week and will likely keep the job until he proves unreliable.
Punter Position Under Scrutiny
If the Rams make another change, punter could be the spot. They rank 30th in punting DVOA at -3.4 percent. For every good punt Evans has, he follows it with one that puts the defense in a bad spot. Evans' seat is warming. Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone called out his inconsistencies last week. "We need to get more consistency from the punter," Ventrone said. "Ethan can do a better job being able to elevate the ball and match hang times and distance at a greater rate. We have to do a better job in his position." The big return last week against the Eagles was more on the coverage unit than Evans' punt; Evans did well to place the punt along the sideline, and the coverage unit was in position to make a play. Both the punter and coverage unit can improve.
Ventrone's Role and Future
With the special teams struggling, it's natural to blame the coordinator. But at what point does that cease to be the case? The Rams have cycled through coordinators with little change. The unit needs a consistent voice, and Ventrone isn't a bad one to have. Despite early struggles, there is optimism around him. This offseason, he was responsible for signing Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard, two of the Rams' best special teams players. He likely had input on the Maximus Pulley signing. If Ventrone has a say in personnel, the unit could turn around. However, that hasn't been the case in recent years, as evidenced by the Rams' decision not to make offseason changes at kicker, punter, or returner. Ventrone isn't blameless, but if given time and support from the front office and head coach, there's reason to believe he can fix things.