Continued Failure in This Critical Area Has Been Rams' Demise

The Los Angeles Rams were plagued by injuries earlier this season. They have been plagued by something much worse over the last few weeks.

Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) juggles a pass dropped, defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images / Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams started the season 1-4, primarily due to injuries. However, even after multiple players have returned from injury, the Rams have still struggled with a few things as the season has progressed.

One of the Rams' most pressing issues over the last few weeks has been their inability to convert on third down. This has singlehandedly led to multiple losses for the Rams and could be a significant reason they miss the playoffs this season.

The Rams converted on three of their 13 third-down attempts against the Seattle Seahawks and three of their 12 third-down attempts against the Miami Dolphins.

“Execution," McVay said. "I'll go back and I'll look at it. We were good on the fourth downs. There are a lot of different reasons. It wasn't one thing in particular, but that has obviously been a very, that hasn't been successful enough. It's been an area that we have to be better at, no doubt about it.” 

Los Angeles converted on two of its eight third-down attempts against the New England Patriots and did not convert any of their eight third-down attempts against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford also believes the team's shortcomings on third down come down to execution more than anything else. Stafford notes it will take everyone being on the same page to fix their issues on third down.

“We didn’t put ourselves in a lot of favorable ones today, so you don’t do that against a defense," Stafford said. "It’s going to be difficult. No doubt there are some that we can convert on, look back on, but it takes great execution by everybody to convert on third down. We got to do a better job.” 

The Rams battled back from a 1-4 hole to start the season. However, all that hard work will be pointless if they do not fix their third-down woes, as it will lead to more losses the Rams cannot afford.

The Rams' season is far from over. They are still in the NFC West mix, with multiple games remaining within the division. They must fix the issues that have continued to plague them this season if they hope to make it to the postseason.

The fact that the Rams have struggled on third downs in wins and losses is pretty telling.

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