Can the Rams Avoid Their Slow Starts of the Past?
As Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams enter the 2025 NFL season, their starts of the last two seasons sit at the forefront of their minds. Before the bye, the Rams started their last two seasons a measly 3-6 and 1-4 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. If the Rams want to have a good chance at contention this year, they have to have a stronger start to the season with a winning record by their Week Eight bye. In order to do that, the Rams will have to break the patterns that plagued them in years past.
In 2023, the Rams’ 3-6 start can partially be attributed to the strength of their opponents. They played five 2023 playoff teams before the bye, losing to the 49ers, the Eagles, the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Packers. They also lost to the Bengals in Week Three, who just barely missed the playoffs, finishing 9-8. Losing to good teams is no excuse for a team that also wants to be great, but playing only two teams that would finish the season with a losing record before the bye is a tough draw for anyone. To avoid a repeat in 2025, the Rams will have to simply win against good teams. As for the 2024 NFL Playoffs teams, the Rams have the Texans, the Eagles, and the Ravens on the docket, as well as a divisional matchup against the 49ers, who look to bounce back with a healthier season. With these making up four of their seven games before the bye, walking out with two out of four of these games with a win is crucial.
Another defining part of the Rams’ slow starts has been injuries. In 2023, the Rams lost Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp for significant parts of the early parts of the year. Kupp was held out with an ankle injury for the first four games, and Williams missed another three games before the bye from Week Seven to Nine. In 2024, Kupp missed another four games, and Puka Nacua left Week One early and did not return until after the bye. Getting through the early parts of the season without these crucial injuries will be the most important part of having a strong start. Hopefully, replacing often-injured Kupp with Davante Adams will help in this process, but Matthew Stafford’s nagging back problems and Alaric Jackson’s blood clots staying healthy are still points of concern. As the Rams enter their matchup with the Texans mostly fully healthy, this week will be a great opportunity for the Rams to get a statement win against a strong team to signal that their slow starts are a thing of the past.
