Which Concerns Remain Despite the Rams Week Six Win?
In Week Six of the 2025 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams came out on top with/in a gritty win against the injured Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens were without the 2023 MVP Lamar Jackson, and the Rams were heavily favored to win as a result. The Ravens’ defense has been a major weakness through six weeks, and the Rams’ offense was expected to blow them out of the water–especially with Matthew Stafford playing at a near MVP level. The Ravens’ offense was expected to fall behind in a shootout without Jackson. Instead, the game turned into a defensive bloodbath. The Rams still won with a comfortable cushion of points, but they showed concerning habits that kept the Ravens in the game, which could be indicative of more severe problems down the line.
Red Zone Failures May Be a Habit the Rams Cannot Break
The Rams were once again poor in the red zone, with an efficiency of two out of five trips. This lack of efficiency includes a turnover on downs on fourth-and-three on the Ravens’ six-yard line, where Stafford got sacked. This came early in the fourth quarter where the Rams had a chance to pull ahead, effectively putting a Ravens’ comeback out of reach. Another major failure on the part of the Rams was a missed field goal from a mere 26 yards that Joshua Karty doinked off the goalpost.
These mistakes left at least 10 crucial points off the board and gave the underequipped Ravens team hope for a comeback until the very end. The Rams struggled in the red zone last season with an efficiency rate of 51.39%, putting them at 25th in the league. Before this week’s performance they were a slight improvement at 52.38% and 24th in the league. This week’s performance plummeted them down to 50% on the year. The hope was that additions such as Davante Adams and a more dynamic run game with both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum would allow the Rams to be more efficient in this regard; however, that has yet to come to fruition this season. Six weeks in, it may be time to admit that this will once again be a problem, especially with a putrid kick game that has given the Rams little reason to rely on them.
Fumbles Will Continue to Fumble Away Games
Before this game, the Rams were tied for the fourth highest fumbles per game at 0.8 per game. Against the Ravens, Matthew Stafford dropped another fumble in a situation where the Rams had a prime opportunity to score on the Ravens’ 37-yard line. The Rams have given up a fumble in three straight games and in each game, it has cost them. it has cost the Rams in each game. Against the Ravens, the Rams were able to recover, largely because the defense was able to constantly put a stop to the Ravens with Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley at the helm. If these problems continue, the fumbles will start handing their opponents wins, similar to how it happened in Week Five against the 49ers.
The Rams Defense Is a Reliable Cornerstone
While the offense had some criticism worth worrying about, a win is a win regardless, and a win is always a good thing. This game was not all bad, and the Rams’ defense continues to prove that they are worth relying on. The Rams held the Ravens to a mere three points and forced them into poor third and fourth down efficiency, with efficiencies of seven out of 17 and two out of six respectively. They got home for four sacks, one from both Jared Verse and Larell Murchison and a pair from Byron Young. Quentin Lake also continued a strong 2025 campaign with his first interception of the season. While cornerback play has been a problem the last few weeks, the defense contained the passing game to only 117 yards, granted from two different backup quarterbacks. These stats paint the picture of a defense that has proven that it can win games on its own, even when the offense struggles. Expect great things from this defensive unit as the season continues into London against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
