5 Rams Overreactions We’re Not Buying After Week 1

The Los Angeles Rams lost to a division rival in the San Francisco 49ers by the score of 27-7 to start Week 1. Following the NFL’s first slate of games, overreactions are always going to happen. This is all that we’ve seen from every team, but it’s important to remember that it is only one game. A team’s performance in Week 1 doesn’t always carry over into Week 2 and beyond. Few would have had the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl after they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 last year. 

“Let's not ignore the things that we can learn from, but we can't lose twice to that,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay. “We've got to be able to move forward. All the things that I discussed afterwards, I feel that much stronger about it. The only way that I know to get this taste out of my mouth is to go back to work, apply the growth mindset, all the things that we've talked about.”

Matthew Stafford Is Washed

Following his MVP season, Matthew Stafford didn’t have a performance up to the standard that he’s set since joining the Rams. He threw for 155 yards and had his lowest passer rating since 2018. For most of the game, Stafford wasn’t sharp and didn’t look good despite the offensive line generally playing well. 

However, Stafford has had these types of performances in the past and then followed them up with a good outing the next week. Throughout his career, he’s been streaky at times. After that 2018 game in which Stafford had a 47.9 passer rating, he threw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions the next week with 347 yards. This isn’t a case where Stafford’s arm talent still isn’t evident and has fallen off. 

The Rams Shouldn’t Have Traded for Myles Garrett

For most of the game against the 49ers, Myles Garrett looked like a shell of himself. There were certainly reasons for that as Garrett managed a knee injury that didn’t allow him to be the player that many are used to seeing. Still, it was shocking to see Garrett not be able to have the impact that many expected. 

There will be a lot of opinions shared in hindsight following the game and Garrett going on injured reserve. However, trading for Garrett is still something that the Rams front office would do 10 out of 10 times. The opportunity to trade for a player of Garrett’s caliber doesn’t come around often. With Garrett on injured reserve, the Rams will allow him to get healthy and hope that when he comes back, he’s the player they know he can be. 

This Is 2022 All Over Again

It took one injury to a major player for flashbacks of 2022 to surface. During the 2022 season, the Rams lost Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald all to injury for half the season. Following the game against the 49ers, the Rams learned they will be without Garrett for at least the next four games. 

With that said, Garrett is only one player. The Rams could be getting Aaron Donald back on defense by Monday night against the New York Giants. This is also a team with a lot of depth on the defensive line. Other teams won’t be able to run the same type of offense with quick passing that the 49ers did. Outside of Garrett being injured, the Rams are still very healthy and should be able to manage the next four weeks. 

Chris Shula Should Be on the Hot Seat

Heading into the season, there was a lot of pressure on defensive coordinator Chris Shula. The Rams’ defense played well under Shula at the end of 2024 and started really strong last year before falling off down the stretch. This offseason, the Rams went out and upgraded at cornerback and added Garrett. Still, the defense didn’t play as well as many were expecting against the 49ers. 

Shula still operated primarily in zone coverage despite having two man cornerbacks. The Rams had one of the lowest blitz rates in the NFL in Week 1. However, there are things that Shula may be able to do against other teams that can’t be done against the 49ers, such as playing in man coverage. 

Sean McVay is obsessed with the Vic Fangio defense, which is a scheme that’s very zone-heavy and doesn’t blitz often as the goal is to limit explosives. The Rams and Shula may need to adjust at some point, but he needs more than one game to come to that conclusion. If this unit isn’t meeting expectations by midseason, it may be time to be concerned. 

The Rams Are No Longer Super Bowl Contenders

The history isn’t great for teams that lose in Week 1 by 14 or more points and the Rams lost to the 49ers by 20. One game doesn’t make a season. While the season may not have started like many wanted, it’s only one game. It’s up to the Rams whether they are going to allow the Week 1 loss to affect them going forward.

In 2021, the Rams went an entire month without winning a game. During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the Rams overcame a 3-6 and 1-4 start. The Rams obviously won’t want to dig themselves a hole, but they've shown that they can navigate difficult circumstances in the past and come out better on the other side. 

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