In professional sports, the term "catastrophic" is seldom thrown around lightly, but for the 0-2 Los Angeles Rams, it may be an apt descriptor of their injury situation just two weeks into the 2024 NFL season.
Key Players Sidelined
The Rams are a team in crisis, especially with the potential long-term loss of wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The star receiver, a long-time favorite target of quarterback Matthew Stafford, is slated to miss an "extended period of time" after suffering a left ankle sprain in the team's recent 41-10 drubbing at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.
This isn't Kupp's first encounter with such a setback. In 2022, a similar ankle injury against the Cardinals required season-ending surgery. The potential absence of Kupp, alongside guard Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III—both nursing shoulder injuries—casts a dark shadow over the Rams' prospects this season. The trio is now a candidate for injured reserve, joining a burgeoning list of sidelined players that jeopardizes their playoff hopes.
Offensive Line Turmoil
The chaos extends beyond skill positions. Head coach Sean McVay has highlighted the disarray along the offensive line, a unit already struggling with a lack of continuity. "The amount of moving parts that we've had offensive line-wise has been wild," McVay said, encapsulating the team's difficulties in finding synergy in front of Stafford.
The injuries have exposed Stafford to excessive risk, as evidenced by his performance in the loss against the Cardinals, where he threw for 216 yards but lost a fumble after being sacked five times. Stafford's average time to throw—3.25 seconds, the fifth-longest in Week 2—suggests he isn't getting the pass protection he desperately needs. The veteran quarterback missed the latter half of the 2022 season with a spinal cord contusion and concussion, making the lack of protection particularly alarming.
Defensive Struggles
On the defensive side, the Rams are also facing significant challenges. The retirement of Aaron Donald has left a gaping hole in the defensive front seven, now reliant on rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, first and second-round picks in 2024, respectively. This inexperience is compounded by injuries to critical corners Darious Williams and Derion Kendrick, both on injured reserve.
Historical Context and Future Concerns
The Rams' situation is a harsh reminder of the unpredictable nature of injuries in sports. Just last season, the Rams were the healthiest team in the NFL, finishing with the fewest adjusted games lost due to injury. "The Rams' good fortune last season included the fourth-fewest injuries on offense and the fewest on defense," noted Frank Schwab, emphasizing how fortunes can swing dramatically. He further elaborated, "In 2022 they dealt with numerous injuries and finished second in adjusted games lost due to injury."
The 2024 season now seems to be an unfortunate regression to their 2022 form, with injury luck seemingly following no rhyme or reason. "It went from 146.6 AGL in 2022 to 26.4 last season, which is an incredible shift and shows how injury luck often has no rhyme or reason," Schwab pointed out.
Adding to these worries is the historical caveat that no NFL team beginning a year 0-3 has ever won a Super Bowl, a disheartening statistic that looms large for the Rams. However, the silver lining is the Rams' draft capital for 2025, holding their own first, third, fourth, and sixth-round picks, plus additional sixth-round picks from the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Houston Texans.
The Path Forward
Coach McVay finds himself in uncharted waters. The challenge now is navigating the team through this turbulent phase while safeguarding the future. "We're kind of running out of those [injured reserve] spots and we're only into Week 3 in terms of the return to play, but that is a possibility for all of those guys," McVay admitted, underscoring the dire situation.
"One tangible reason to worry about Rams regression is their injury luck last season," Schwab remarked, adding a note of caution. The pendulum of injury luck appears to have swung back, and the Rams must cope with this adversity if they hope to salvage their season.
In a sport where the margin between success and failure is often razor-thin, the Los Angeles Rams will need more than just resilience. They will need a bit of the very luck that seems to have deserted them as they move deeper into the 2024 NFL season.