The Rams' bye week couldn't have come at better time

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Rams' bye week couldn't have come at better time

Skyler Carlin
November 16, 2021 6:56 am PT

You ever watch something so horrifying that you couldn’t take your eyes off of it, even though your mind is telling you to stop? That is what the past two games for the Los Angeles Rams have felt like.


Following a lopsided loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, the Rams would get trounced by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 10. The 49ers have now extended their winning streak over the Rams to five games, dating back to 2019.

The good news for Los Angeles is that it now has a bye in Week 11. The bye week arrives at a perfect time for the Rams, giving Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. an extra week to get acclimated to their new team.

Also, with Robert Woods sidelined for the rest of the season, Sean McVay gets some valuable time to conjure up ways to replace his production. It’s going to take more than one guy to replace what Woods does, and with Woods being arguably the best run-blocking wideout in the NFL, that is easier said than done.

Ever since McVay arrived in 2017, the Rams have gone 3-1 out of their bye week. Their lone loss came in 2019 when they fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-12 on the road.

For Matthew Stafford, it’s been quite the rollercoaster ride in recent weeks. In the first eight weeks of the season, Stafford was positioned well in the NFL MVP race, throwing for 2,477 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions on an impressive 68.9% completion percentage.

It has been a struggle for Stafford in the past two weeks, where he’s completed only 64% of his passes for 537 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions. This bye week will give him a chance to put these past two games behind him and get on the same page as his receivers again.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams need to figure out what their identity is. San Francisco manhandled them in the trenches on Monday night, running the same play over and over due to Los Angeles being unable to stop them at any point.

When you have Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, and Miller – among others – on your defense, the likelihood of a turnaround is increased tremendously. That being said, even with gifted personnel, Raheem Morris needs to do a better job in putting them in a position to succeed, and he’d likely tell you the same thing.

Winning out of the bye week is going to be a tall task for the Rams since they face the current No. 1 seed in the NFC in the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. But at the very least, they have a week where they can forget about the last two losses and shift their focus toward making a strong push in the latter part of the season, similar to what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last season en route to winning a Super Bowl.