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The Rams were hoping that acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller would be the last pieces to their championship puzzle. One game in, and the team looks farther away than before.
The Rams were stunningly blown out by the 49ers on “Monday Night Football,” 31-10, giving San Francisco their first win at home in over a year. It also marked the first two-game losing streak for Los Angeles this season, as they fell to 7-3.
“It was a humbling night for us as a team,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said after the game. “And a great opportunity for us to be able to take a deep breath, step away, look at the things we need to correct.”
It was a tough night for all of their recent major acquisitions. Beckham, who last week forced his way out of Cleveland amid a whirlwind of drama, caught two passes for 18 yards. Miller, also playing in his first game since being acquired in a trade from the Broncos, had two solo tackles (one of them a tackle for loss) – but was on the other end of a viral highlight where he was blocked into oblivion by 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Perhaps most concerning, quarterback Matthew Stafford – acquired in an offseason trade with the Lions – struggled for a second-straight game, completing 26 of 41 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown, throwing interceptions on back-to-back drives in the first quarter that led to 14 points for the 49ers. The second came on a deflection after a drop, but the first was a deep ball into double coverage intended for Beckham that wasn’t even close to being completed.
It was Stafford’s second-straight game with multiple turnovers, having thrown four picks to just two touchdowns in the last two games. Not coincidentally, the Rams lost both games – each in primetime.
“I choose to believe these last couple of weeks are not who we are,” McVay said. “I refuse to believe that, even though you’re only as good as your last game.”
McVay, too, had a bit of a rough game, going conservative with play calling and kicking a field goal down 24 points late in the fourth quarter. He also called a fake field goal in the red zone before halftime that backfired spectacularly, gaining just two yards when the Rams needed eight to get into the end zone.
Los Angeles missed an opportunity to make a move on Arizona in the division, after the Cardinals had a disappointing loss of their own to the Panthers on Sunday. After going all in on 2021, they have some work to do for their Super Bowl ambitions to be realized.
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