Matthew Stafford Calls for Rams to 'Trust the Process' After Disappointing Start

The Rams have started the season 0-2 for the first time since 2011.

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The Los Angeles Rams endured what head coach Sean McVay described as a "humbling" 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

Coming into the season after making the playoffs in 2023, the Rams were favorites to contend once again this season. Though they dropped their first game of the season to the Detroit Lions, who beat them in the playoffs last January, the Rams were still viewed in high regard and expected to walk out of State Farm Stadium with a win on Sunday.

Instead, the overlooked Cardinals trounced the Rams in every aspect of the game. From the start, the Cardinals controlled the flow of the game, allowing them to take a 24-3 lead at the half.

On offense, quarterback Kyler Murray quickly connected with rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who outmatched the Rams' defensive backs early on with four receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

When he wasn't seamlessly connecting with his receivers, Murray evaded pressure the way he did before he tore ACL, and helped lead a Cardinals' rushing attack that ran for over 200 yards. Along with Murray's 59 yards on the ground, James Conner carried the ball 21 times for 122 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Cardinals stifled the Rams' attack by limiting Los Angeles to just 53 yards on the ground and sacking quarterback Matthew Stafford five times.

The performance sealed a blowout win for the Cardinals, and an ugly loss for the Rams, leaving the team with more questions than answers.

Despite the Rams dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 2011, Stafford compared the start to pulling off a comeback.

"(Starting 0-2), it's similar to when you're down in the game," Stafford said, via Rams.com. "Can't get it all back at once, right? Just got to continue to work. Trust, the process. Trust, hey, this is how I go about my work week. This is what I'm going to do to try and get better or fix some things that you know may have gone wrong in the previous game."

Stafford holds the NFL record for most fourth-quarter comebacks in a season and has shown he can help orchestrate a turnaround. After all, he did so last season. The Rams began the 2023 season 3-6, including two blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. After those two losses, the Rams won six of their final seven games of the season.

Of course, Stafford made these comments last night before the Rams received another slew of injuries. Since Sunday, it's been revealed that wide receiver Cooper Kupp, offensive lineman Jonah Jackson, and safety John Johnson III will all also miss time due to injuries. They join a mounting list of injuries to the Rams, which also includes Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Darious Williams, and Joe Noteboom.

With all these injuries, it's harder to imagine the Rams pulling off the same magic.

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