Rams find themselves in an unfamiliar spot after loss to unbeaten San Francisco

Rams find themselves in an unfamiliar spot after loss to unbeaten San Francisco
Joe Curley, Ventura County Star
Published 8:09 p.m. PT Oct. 13, 2019 | Updated 8:19 p.m. PT Oct. 13, 2019


LOS ANGELES — It’s not a crisis just yet.

But keep that panic button within arm’s reach.

Sean McVay will wake up Monday morning with the type of problem he has yet to face as Los Angeles Rams head coach.

After being physically dominated by undefeated San Francisco on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum, the Rams (3-3) are mired in their first three-game losing streak under McVay.

“Was it a humbling day for us?,” McVay asked. “Absolutely. But it’s something that we’re going to learn from. We’re not going to let it demoralize us.”

More importantly, they sit in third place in the NFC West, a division the Rams have dominated since McVay was plucked from Washington to replace Jeff Fisher.

“There’s nothing we can do about this performance, other than learn from it,” McVay said. “That’s all I know how to do."

Los Angeles went wire to wire to win the NFC West in McVay’s first two season as head coach. The first time it looked up in the division standings under McVay was after the wild Week 4 loss to Tampa Bay, 36 games into his tenure.

And now, after the first three-game losing streak under McVay, the 3-3 Rams are starting to lose touch with the 5-0 San Francisco and 5-1 Seattle, who both own valuable head-to-head wins.

“It’s a gut check,” said quarterback Jared Goff, after San Francisco held him to a career-low 78 yards passing. “Are you who you say you are?

“I know who this team is. I know who these players are. I know who our coaches are. We have so much faith and belief in Sean and everyone else. We’re going to get right back on track.

After driving the length of the field on seven running plays on the opening possession, taking a 7-0 lead on Robert Woods’ 8-yard end around, they managed just 101 yards of total offense over the final 51 minutes of play.

“We came out ready to go,” McVay said. “To be able to have a seven play drive, seven runs, all in manageable down and distances, there was a good enthusiasm. There was a good juice.

“That was the way that you wanted to start. We have to do a better job after that of being able to continue that momentum.”

San Francisco tied the game on Tevin Coleman’s 2-yard run in the first quarter and took control after a fumble by Rams rookie running back Darrell Henderson on the first play of the second half.

Jimmy Garappolo’s 1-yard sneak on third and goal and two Robbie Gould field goals were enough for the 49ers to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1990.

The Rams were left to kick themselves for missed opportunities, like running back Malcolm Brown being stopped on fourth and goal from the San Francisco 1 in the second quarter and a pair of turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.

“The reality is NFL football games come down to little, tiny plays here or there throughout game,” veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “In the year before or even in 2017, we found a way to execute those little moments and get the momentum back, or make a big play that got us in the game or to take a lead and get control of the game.

“Right now, we’re just missing those plays. And when you do, it all just kind of piles on you.”

That has started up front, where the Rams have been unable to solve an offseason transition on the offensive line, in which second-year center Brian Allen and second-year guard Joe Noteboom replaced the departed John Sullivan and Rodger Safford, respectively.

To make things worse, Noteboom suffered a potential serious leg injury in the first half on Sunday and was replaced by another second-year lineman, Jamil Demby.

Certainly, offensive line coach Aaron Kromer didn’t expect any of the three young players to be the finished article, but their rough edges have shown.

The Rams entered Week 6 ranked No. 31 in the league in both pass blocking and run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Really it’s just figuring it out,” McVay said. “Let’s figure out the best way to maximize guys’ skill sets. That’s a very vital part of football.

“Football’s the greatest team sport there is and we’ll continue try to develop guys. That’s the only way that we can move forward.”

One of the healthiest teams in the league the past two seasons, the Rams have also been hit with a spate of injuries. They were without running back Todd Gurley (quadriceps), linebacker Clay Matthews III (broken jaw) and cornerback Aqib Talib (ribs) on Sunday.

“The reality is, in the NFL… the healthiest teams are usually the best ones,” Whitworth said. “We’re dealing with that a little bit. You know what, there’s no excuses. You find a way to help each other out, coach each other up and go to the drawing board and find a way to win. That’s what we have to do.”

However the defending NFC Champions have reached mediocrity, that’s where they find themselves this week, .500 for the first time since the second week of the 2017 season.

“Three losses in a row,” Brown said. “It’s a little adversity for us. But, as a team, we preach about adversity, getting over it and sticking together as a family. We’re definitely going to get back to that.”

And they won’t see the Coliseum again for a month.

They make road trips to Atlanta, London (for a home game against Cincinnati) and Pittsburgh before hosting Chicago at the Coliseum on Nov. 17.

So, for the Rams, things are unlikely to get easier, before they get better.

“I trust that this is a mentally tough team,” McVay said. “We’ve got mentally tough people in our building. This is a real opportunity to be what we say we are.

“We’re just going to go to work. We’re going to stay together. We’re not going to let the outside influences create a divide within us. That’s something that I trust we will do.”

[www.vcstar.com]

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