Rams Had Amazing Offseason, Dud Week 1

The Los Angeles Rams had one of the best on paper off-season’s in modern sports, then followed that up with a horrible Week 1. Things can always be worse, but the Week 1 that L.A. just has proven again why picking a Super Bowl winner in August is nearly an impossible task.

Starting with the offseason, some would say the Rams received too much coverage the last few months, and that’s fair, but the Rams received so much coverage because they were constantly generating news.

Trading for Trent Mcduffie, adding Jaylen Watson, trying to figure out their special teams, trading for Myles Garrett, keeping the offense in tact including Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Donald’s future with the team dominated NFL talk for months leading up to the 2026 season.

Then, Week 1 actually happened.

The Super Bowl favorite Rams got slapped in the face by the San Francisco 49ers. The Seattle Seahawks showed they can win with a backup quarterback and can still ride their defense. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Chargers in a major early season upset.

Now, the Rams are looking up in the NFC West, and as of one week into the season, they look a bit lost. Myles Garrett is going to IR. AD must be wondering what he is coming back to? Sean McVay needs to figure it out.

It’s been an interesting Week 1 for the Rams. They have more than a few games left. We’ll see what happens.

A Whole Lot Changed In One Week For The Rams (defector)

“How best to react to the latest news on the Los Angeles Rams? Easy: with complete abandon and logical recklessness. That’s how the veterans do it.

Said latest news: that massive offseason acquisition Myles Garrett has fouled his knee, failed to will it healthy again, and now will have surgery that will take out all of September and a chunk of October as well. Garrett was the big swing of the summer, but the fact that it was the Rams that took it is no surprise. General manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay love acquisitional bat speed more than nearly any team not named Real Madrid or Barcelona, and between Garrett and veteran ace in the hole Aaron Donald, they surely constructed the most unsettling defensive front since their own Fearsome Foursome six decades ago.“

Myles Garrett Goes On IR After Knee Surgery: What Does It Mean For Rams? (foxsports)

“Star edge rusher Myles Garrett underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee and will be placed on injured reserve, ruling him out for at least four games, The Ringer first reported. FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer later confirmed the news.

“Myles Garrett didn’t do a lot of practice in this training camp,” Glazer said on “FOX NFL Kickoff.” “He had a knee injury. You saw him there the other night against [San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle] Trent Williams; he just wasn’t right. So the team decided they’re going to have him undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.”

Maxx Crosby reportedly turned down Rams interest after Ravens trade collapsed (sports.yah00)

“League interest remained significant. Reports indicate that multiple teams contacted the Raiders after the Ravens trade collapsed. The Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49erswere among clubs reported to have monitored the situation. Despite that interest, no offer matched what Las Vegas believed Crosby was worth, making a second trade unlikely.

With Crosby remaining off the market, the Rams eventually shifted their attention elsewhere and later completed their blockbuster acquisition of Garrett. The move helped reshape Los Angeles’ defense, but the latest report suggests the organization may have initially preferred a different path.“

3 things Rams can learn from Giants’ win ahead of Week 2 matchup (ramswire)

“With the Rams looking to avoid a 0-2 start, here are three major lessons they must learn this week after New York dazzled in head coach John Harbaugh’s debut.

Isaiah Likely will be a matchup problem

Giants tight end Isaiah Likely impressed during his first few seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, even proving he was more productive than incumbent starter Mark Andrews when given an extended run of play. That chance never materialized, but in his debut with New York, he was ungardable.

Rams gave Aaron Donald’s contract incentives creative nicknames (sports.yahoo)

“The Los Angeles Rams do things their way, and one of the most defining elements of the team’s independent ideas is how they go about their roster. Their beliefs behind roster construction are often subjected to media attention, as the franchise leverages its top draft picks for star players, using its scouting and developmental departments to fill out the roster.

However, that’s not the only aspect of their construction that is unique to Los Angeles. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that the Rams give nicknames to incentive packages in their contracts, with Aaron Donald having monikers that define his return perfectly.

He has one incentive named “I’m Back” and another called “I Got 99 Problems.”

Rams’ Sean McVay reveals wife’s reality check after mulling media jump following losing season in 2022 (foxnews)

“The Rams were 5-12 in 2022 – one year after beating the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. He said in an interview on “60 Minutes,” which aired Sunday night, that he was in a “dark” place and had to come to grips with the fact that a few losses weren’t a reflection on himself.

He said his wife, Veronika Khomyn, hit him with a reality check.

“I was ready to run away from coaching and hide behind a convenient narrative of some media opportunities,” he explained. “I’ll never forget, I was explaining to my wife, Veronika, it was a daunting task ahead for the ’23 season and I remember telling her, ‘Maybe I’ll take a year off,’ and she said, ‘That never sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be.’”

Rams coach Sean McVay “tormented,” even with the team as Super Bowl favorite (cbssports)

“”You’re either in a storm, you’re coming out of one or you’re getting ready to go back into it,” McVay said. “And it’s one of those three things. But how you handle that is the separator.”

How McVay’s handled winning and losing 

McVay’s Super Bowl win came after acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford . But the coach’s joy over the win was fleeting.

“The lies I told myself were, ‘I won’t be happy until I — until we win one.’ Or, ‘I win one,'” McVay said. “It was a lot more selfish. And, you know, you’re embarrassed to kind of look back on how you got to where you did.”

The Rams’ 2022 Super Bowl win was followed by a losing season. 

“It revealed a lot of insecurities that I had. My identity was so tied up in winning and losing games, and that was where I felt like my self-worth lied,” McVay said. “It was very revealing of how fragile I was and all the insecurities that I did have.”

NFL Week 1 winners, losers: Deshaun Watson disastrous in Browns offense, Bears light up scoreboard (cbssports)

“While the small sample size of one game can cloud reality, there are some cases where Week 1 tells the football world all it needs to know about a particular team or individual player. In Watson’s case, a poor season debut might be all it takes to write the book on his run as the Browns’ starting quarterback. For the Bears, a 59-point onslaught is compelling evidence that they are in for a monster year.

In an 18-week season, there is still ample time to right wrongs and for strengths to devolve into weaknesses. But for now, some are off to hot starts while others could not have opened the year in a worse fashion.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday’s Week 1 action.“

2026 NFL season, Week 1: What We Learned from Sunday’s games (nfl.com)

“Bears offense enters a new orbit. After jumping from the bottom of the league to sixth overall in total yards last season, Chicago’s offense used Week 1 to send the clearest message that it has an extra gear to hit in Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era. The Bears dropped 59 points on Carolina — their most in a game since the 1980 season — with a balanced and unrelenting attack. Caleb Williams looked masterful for much of the game, making highlight-reel plays with his arm and legs. He’s the first player in franchise history to post 200-plus passing yards, two or more passing touchdowns, 50-plus rushing yards and two or more rushing scores in a single game, per NFL Research. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai each reached the century mark in rushing yards. On a day when the defense gave up 37 points, Chicago won by 22 points. For so many years, that kind of outcome was something Bears fans could only dream about.“

Notable injuries, news from Sunday’s Week 1 games: Ravens’ Zay Flowers exits with hamstring injury (nfl.com)

“Here are the injuries and news we’re monitoring around the league on this Week 1 Sunday:“

Rams open as big favorites vs. Giants in Week 2 (ramswire)

“These two teams will now square off in another prime-time matchup next Monday night at SoFi Stadium. The Rams will be well-rested after returning from Melbourne, while the Giants will have to fly across the country for a marquee matchup against the Super Bowl favorites.

Despite their differing records, it’s the Rams who are heavy favorites over the Giants. Here are the opening odds from BetMGM.“

Comment of the Day:

“The offensive pass game issues are correctable.

I’m concerned about the defense. They were getting abused in the run game and Shula did not adjust. Kept running the four man fronts. I don’t recall any run blitzes or taking a safety off to add another DT.

Giants power run game is gonna have a field day if the Rams try the same tactic. Unless the DTs have a better game and the ILBs some how figure out how to play a run gap.“-holtfan

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