Rams Face Early Setbacks and Injury Concerns in Challenging Start to 2024 NFL Season

Rams Face Early Setbacks and Injury Concerns in Challenging Start to 2024 NFL Season

The Los Angeles Rams are off to a rocky start in the 2024 NFL season, beginning the year with a 0-2 record. Adding to their woes, the team has been plagued by a series of injuries that threaten to derail their prospects further. Head coach Sean McVay has candidly discussed the difficulties his team is facing both on and off the field.

"The amount of moving parts that we've had offensive line-wise has been wild," McVay said, highlighting one of the many challenges his team is grappling with early in the season. This comes as no surprise given the laundry list of injured players, which includes star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who will miss an extended period of time due to a left ankle sprain.

Kupp's Absence a Major Blow

Cooper Kupp's injury is particularly concerning, as it mirrors a similar ankle injury he sustained in 2022 that required season-ending surgery. Without Kupp, the Rams' offense loses one of its most potent weapons, a blow they can ill afford at this juncture. Alongside Kupp, Guard Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III are nursing shoulder injuries, adding to the Rams' injury woes. McVay has indicated that Kupp, Jackson, and Johnson III are all candidates for the injured reserve list, which could create further complications.

"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 remarked.

Offensive Struggles Evident

Quarterback Matthew Stafford has not been able to shield the team from these difficulties. In the recent loss against the Arizona Cardinals, Stafford threw for 216 yards but also lost a fumble after being sacked five times. His average time to throw in Week 2 was 3.25 seconds, the fifth-longest in the league for that week, underlining the issues with the offensive line that McVay alluded to. Compounding the problem is Stafford's history with injuries. He missed the latter half of the 2022 season due to a spinal cord contusion and a concussion, heightening concerns about his ability to withstand the physical toll of extended exposure to defensive pressure.

Defense in Flux

Defensively, the Rams are also dealing with significant changes. The retirement of Aaron Donald has left a void in the front seven, forcing the team to rely on rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, who were first and second-round picks in 2024. The secondary is also depleted, with corners Darious Williams and Derion Kendrick on injured reserve. The Rams' current predicament starkly contrasts with their injury fortunes last season.

"The Rams' good fortune last season included the fourth-fewest injuries on offense and the fewest on defense," noted sports journalist Frank Schwab.

In stark contrast to the 2022 season, where they finished second in adjusted games lost due to injury, the Rams are currently grappling with a potential return to those lows.

"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 wrote, pointing out that the Rams' current situation might be a reversion to less fortunate injury luck.

Path Forward

Despite the troubling start, there is a sliver of hope for the Rams. They retain their own first, third, fourth, and sixth-round picks for the 2025 draft, along with additional sixth-round picks from the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Houston Texans. These assets could provide the foundation for replenishing a roster currently beset by injuries. Yet, history is not on their side. No NFL team starting a year 0-3 has ever won a Super Bowl, emphasizing the urgency for the Rams to turn their season around. As they brace for Week 3, the Rams face an uphill battle to regain their footing in a competitive league where opportunities for redemption are limited. The coming weeks will reveal whether the Rams can overcome their early struggles and defy the odds or if the injuries and setbacks will ultimately prove too great a barrier to their success.