Another Tough Ending for Rams

Inglewood, CA (News4usonline) – Winning and losing an NFL football game is a matter of perspective. Can a game come down to inches? Sometimes. Is a game won in the trenches? Without question.  

Generally, though, how a game is won or lost comes down to consistency. So far this season, the offense of the Los Angeles Rams has been inconsistent. There have been flashes that the offense is clicking on all cylinders. There have also been moments of sporadic play. 

The Rams have the capability to score anywhere at any time on any given week. They showed as much in their last three games against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. Having this ability can be both a blessing and an unwanted mirage. 

In each of the three games against the Eagles, Bills and Cardinals, the Rams offense have shown they can get it done when they need to, scoring in the late throes of these games to put themselves in position to win. 

Unfortunately, the Rams have come up short in two of those three games. LA’s 18-16 loss to the Cardinals illustrates this point. 

“We won’t win a game unless we figure out how not to beat ourselves. So many unforced errors, so many things that are not in alignment with what we want to do, specifically on the offensive side of the ball,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. 

All game long, the Rams offense struggled against Arizona’s defense. There was a lack of explosive plays and offensive continuity.

To put things in perspective, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 222 yards for the entire game. Stafford completed 13 of 14 passes in the fourth quarter alone for 126 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Puka Nacua caught four of his six passes in the final quarter. 

Up until their last drive of the game, the only highlight for the Rams was a Stafford pass for a touchdown to running back Blake Corum. 

Down 15-9 with a couple of minutes on the clock in the final period, Stafford and the Rams offense figured it out and pulled a rabbit out of a hat and scored a late touchdown (to tight end Colby Parkinson) to take the lead with 52 seconds remaining. It wasn’t enough.

“Yeah, we just didn’t execute well enough,” Stafford said. “Obviously, I didn’t stay ahead of the chains on some things. They did a nice job executing their plan. They just did it at a better clip than we did early. I had some success a little bit in the second half. I had some opportunities, gave ourselves a chance there late and didn’t come with it.”  

Arizona, aided by a defensive penalty, drove down the field and kicked the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock. For the second straight week, the Rams have seen potential victories turn into last-second defeats by a field goal.

After scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime against the Bills, the Rams had their Week 5 game against their AFC opponent end in a heartbreaking way. Their Week 6 loss to the Cardinals was different but the results were the same. 

The Rams started slow. For the first three quarters, the Rams offense played at a snail’s pace before picking things up on their last drive. The pathway of how their game ended against Arizona is similar to how things played out against Philadelphia and Buffalo. 

Somehow, the Rams found a way to come-from-behind to snatch a win from the Eagles on the road after being down by double-digits late in that game. Their late-game rally against the Bills showcased just how spectacular the Rams offense can be. 

Theatrics aside, the Rams lost that game to Buffalo. That pattern of starting slow and finishing fast played out against the Cardinals. That scenario ended the same way as the Buffalo game; with a defeat. Two straight games at home, two defeats.

The formula of consistency is something that seems to be missing from the Rams offense over the course of the last three games. The solution can be complicated. But what is for sure is that the Rams need a get-out-of-the-gate fast card. 

Because waiting until late in the game to turn it on has ended in the offense being under pressure to score a whole bunch of points. Scoring points when there is a dire need to is simply not sustainable, said Rams offensive guard Kevin Dotson.

“I’d rather be consistent throughout the game,” Dotson said. “I want to score every time we touch the ball, but…we have to want it.”

Against the Eagles that formula worked and the Rams came away with a come-from-behind road win. That recipe provided spectacular results against the Buffalo Bills during a Monday Night Football game. 

The Rams scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and forced overtime. But eventually, the Bills prevailed and the Rams absorbed a heartbreaking loss at home. The Rams continued their wait until the last-minute habit against the Cardinals.

“Like I just told you guys, we have to be able to not beat ourselves before we figure out how to even come away with some of the results,” McVay remarked. “It’s not even good enough and I’ve got to do a much better job. Clearly, there’s nothing positive that I can say about today.” 

Cover Art/Lead Photo Image: Inglewood, CA – Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) caught three passes for 39 yards in a 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 18, 2026. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline