The Los Angeles Rams were heavy Super Bowl 61 favorites going into the 2026 NFL season. Now at 2-4 after Week 6, they have been the league's biggest disappointment.
The Rams are 0-3 in NFC West play and 1-3 in designated home games. After losing to the Cardinals in Los Angeles 18-16 on Sunday, they are in last place in the division, 3.5 games behind the undefeated 49ers, who beat the Rams in Australia in Week 1.
From injuries to bad run defense, from inconsistent offense to close-game meltdowns, everyone's trying to diagnose what is going horribly wrong. Coach Sean McVay, however, doesn't get a free pass for his team underachieving and deserves a fair share of the blame.
McVay is hailed as an offensive genius and football savant, but he also has struggled overall trying to get desired results. Here's breaking down his biggest issues this season.
POWER RANKINGS: Rams sink lower and lower; Bears, Steelers climb
Five ways Sean McVay has failed the Rams in 2026
The Rams are not running the ball at a needed frequency
McVay can get too enamored with the pass and quarterback Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP season has made the coach call for throwing too often this season.
The Rams are running the ball only 36 percent of the time, fourth-lowest in the NFL. In a typical season, that's around 42 percent. Los Angeles does have the No. 15 rushing offense in terms of yards per game (112.7).
But given the team is No. 8 in the NFL at 4.6 yards per carry, the Rams are not sticking to the ground game enough. They have a strong blocking line and two terrific backs capable of splitting the workload -- Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Williams has averaged only 13 attempts per game while Corum is around 8 attempts per game.
Between their offensive linemen, wide receivers and multitude of tight ends, the Rams are well-positioned to put a "hat on a hat" and get downhill. Although the explosive plays have been limited with Williams and Corum, a more methodical approach and greater commitment to the run will also ease the pressure on a slumping Stafford.
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The Rams are struggling with clock and game management
The Rams have lost nail-biters to the Broncos, Bills and Cardinals since getting blown out by the 49ers in Week 1. Their only solid win was at home against the Giants in Week 2 and they were fortunate to rally to beat the Eagles in Week 4.
In the Broncos game, the Rams led 16-0 at halftime, but lost 30-26 because of Stafford interceptions in the second half. They were stuck looking for big pass plays instead of ball control to limit the Broncos' comeback opportunities.
Against the Bills, the Rams went for two too early in the fourth quarter when scoring a touchdown to go up 20-19. Had that not happened, the Rams would have walked away with a 35-34 win in regulation vs. the game coming down to a missed field-goal attempt by former kicker Harrison Mevis.
Against the Cardinals, the Rams should have once again run more than 20 times in a close game to cut down on Stafford feel heavy duress over 36 dropbacks. Up 16-15 late in the fourth quarter, they opened up the middle of the field and made it easier on Arizona to make the winning field goal with a dumb personal foul penalty by cornerback Josh Wallace.
McVay should also have better prepared Wallace for the moment, given that same corner drew a critical pass interference in helping the Broncos rally to beat the Rams. There are several little things costing the Rams big-time in critical moments.
The Rams are again a mess on special teams
McVay is known for being short-tempered and fickle about special teams mistakes. Although Mevis was accurate with his big leg last season, he was cut for missing a 50-yard field-goal attempt against the Bills and getting his 48-yard potential game-winner blocked in overtime
Mevis was replaced by Blake Grupe, who got hurt in his first game with the team in Week 6. Although punter Ethan Evans made a critical late extra point, his punting has been shaky this season. Grupe is the Rams' 11th kicker in the 10 seasons under McVay.
Special teams used to be a strength early in the McVay era, when he had John "Bones" Fassel as leader of that group. Fassel, since leaving Los Angeles, has had a huge impact on the Cowboys' and Titans' special teams. Since then, from 2020 to the present, McVay has went through John Bonamego, Joe DeCamillis, Chase Blackburn and Bubba Ventrone as his special teams coordinators. Blackburn was fired last December before the playoffs.
The Rams don't have continuity at a key phase under McVay with a revolving door of coaches, kickers and ineffective return men (now 30-year-old undrafted journeyman Alex Bachman). When they are not winning, that glaring weakness stands out more.
The Rams have struggled to find a key third receiver
The Rams are one of the better 12 personnel teams (two tight end sets) in the league. They have a lot of depth at tight end despite losing Terrance Ferguson to injury, including Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen and rookie Max Klare. They are still among the teams that use 11 personnel (three wide receivers) the most.
The problem is, unlike tight end, there's not much for Stafford to trust beyond Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at wide receiver. Both players can moved around well and scheme open from outside to inside, but neither is a dedicated slot.
When the Rams won Super Bowl 56 in the 2021 season, a dominant Cooper Kupp got plenty of help from Van Jefferson and Robert Woods to complement him, and then later Odell Beckham Jr. In 2023, Kupp and Nacua were helped plenty by Higbee and Tutu Atwell. Atwell again was a factor in '24.
This season, the third-best target after Nacua and Adams has been Williams on short passes. Higbee has been a faint blip and Parkinson isn't building much on late last season. Konata Mumphfield offers only limited big-play ability at wideout.
When Stafford is locked with Nacua and Adams, the Rams' passing game is difficult to stop. But when teams can throw off those connections with pressure and coverage, the Rams become more predictable and vulnerable.
The Rams have not been well prepared in most games
This has been the most shocking development. The Rams have looked flat too often for a team that's supposed to be sharp under McVay. They were not ready for the long road trip to face the 49ers and went through the motions for much of the opener. They were hungover from the tough Bills' loss last week at home and didn't recover in time to beat the Cardinals
There are lot of veterans helping the Rams win, but there's a fair share of youth and newer players. McVay hasn't pushed the right buttons as a master motivator this season. In the end, if the Rams aren't playing every week like they want to win the Super Bowl, they can't win the Super Bowl.
