LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 The Los Angeles Rams are facing the conundrum of the comeback loss.
They must decide whether to feel good about the first-half effort Sunday that allowed them to take a 19-point lead on the defending Super Bowl champions early in the third quarter 鈥 or to feel bad about the mistakes and shortcomings that allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to come in catastrophic fashion.
The Rams (2-1) dominated the first 31 minutes, prompting Philly fans to boo their own team. Los Angeles got dominated for the final 29 minutes, giving up 26 unanswered points in a 33-26 defeat.
The Rams still could have won on the final snap, but Philadelphia broke through LA’s line and blocked a field-goal attempt by Joshua Karty for the second time in the fourth quarter.
The season is probably still too new for the Rams to get staggered by one gut punch, but they’ve received an early reminder that they have to be better to beat the best teams.
“We just won’t have an undefeated season, but other than that, we played a great game,鈥 running back Blake Corum said Monday. “If we capitalized on a couple more plays, we win. But no excuses.”
The lead was the biggest ever blown by the Rams during their nine successful seasons under coach Sean McVay, who had been 31-0 with a lead of 17 points or more in the second half. Los Angeles had scored on six straight possessions while holding the Eagles scoreless on five straight full possessions before the collapse began: The Rams didn’t score the final four times they touched the ball, while the Eagles put four touchdowns on the board.
McVay and the Rams all believe they can recover from this setback while drawing strength from their success in the first half 鈥 particularly at the line of scrimmage, where they’ve steadily improved their effort despite losing three times to Philadelphia over their past 12 games since November 2024.
“Give credit where credit is due, (and) they’re a well-coached, well-organized group, but we don’t believe they beat us 鈥 we believe we beat ourselves,” said Rams safety Jaylen McCollough, who had a dramatic sack of Jalen Hurts. 鈥淭hat’s really how the game goes, especially in the NFL.鈥
What’s working
The Rams’ defense actually stopped Saquon Barkley, who tore them up twice last season. He managed just 46 yards on 18 carries. Los Angeles’ front seven did a great job filling holes and keeping Barkley off the second level. The effort was encouraging after inconsistent run defense in the first two weeks.
What needs help
The Rams’ decision to stand pat with last season’s secondary remains highly questionable after Hurts and his star pass-catchers exploited those defensive backs for 203 yards passing and three touchdowns in the second half alone. The defensive front didn’t help by struggling to pressure Hurts, but the Rams still don’t appear to have a Super Bowl-caliber secondary, particularly last week.
Stock up
Despite the two late blocks largely caused by line breakdowns, Karty made four earlier field goals 鈥 and he has mastered the NFL鈥檚 new kickoff rules by repeatedly dropping his kicks into the opponents鈥 final 20 yards, forcing them to return it or to take the ball at their 20. The Rams lead the league in opponents鈥 average starting field position.
Stock down
The offensive line made major mistakes against perhaps the best defensive front in the league. Center Coleman Shelton’s holding penalty in the second quarter took a touchdown off the board and forced LA to kick a field goal, while backup guard Beaux Limmer was on the spot for a few big plays by Philly, including the final blocked field goal.
Injuries
McVay isn’t sure whether left guard Steve Avila will return from a two-game absence with an ankle injury. Right guard Kevin Dotson is also still hobbling, which led to Limmer’s playing time.
Key number
0 鈥 Davante Adams’ catches in the second half. He had three for 56 yards and a TD in the first half, but he wasn’t targeted at all in the third quarter, and he couldn’t haul in a touchdown pass under defensive pressure on his final target. Karty’s first field goal was blocked on the next snap.
Next steps
The Colts are surprisingly unbeaten, and the Rams need a bounce-back effort Sunday to prove they’ve shaken off their recent penchant for slow starts to a season. They also could really use a win before they head into a short week of preparation for hosting the 49ers on the following Thursday, followed by consecutive road games in Baltimore and London against the Jaguars.
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