The Los Angeles Rams returned home in Week 4 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and were stunned, losing 55-40 in what turned out to be a trap game.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff turned the ball over four times, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble that resulted in a defensive touchdown to ice the game for the Buccaneers.
Los Angeles once again came out of the gate slow as they failed to score in the first quarter. Tampa Bay took full advantage, quickly getting out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and never looked back.
After the game, Rams head coach Sean McVay once again took responsibility for his team’s lackluster performance, the Rams official Twitter:
“Yeah, I’m not gonna sit up here and continue to make excuses for why I haven’t done a good enough job. I’m just not doing it right now, we’re not getting it done. We’re just gonna continue to put our heads down and find solutions.”
It seems as if the Rams may have been looking ahead to their Week 5 Thursday night matchup against a divisional rival in the Seattle Seahawks. While the loss to Tampa Bay was disappointing, McVay also took some solace in his team getting a chance to redeem themselves sooner rather than later:
“I think it’s a blessing because that’s the only thing that we can control is that we play again on Thursday. We’re gonna find a way to look at ourselves and see if we can play better and we get an opportunity on Thursday and I think that’s a blessing for us.”
This is one of the ugliest losses in McVay’s short head coaching career as he seemingly had no answers for the Buccaneers defense in the first half. The offensive line has struggled to pass protect and run block to start the year and it has seemingly forced McVay’s hand to get away from some of the things that have made the Rams so successful in recent years.
Despite rushing for two touchdowns, running back Todd Gurley once again seemed like an afterthought when he was on the field as he only managed to carry the ball five times for 16 yards. While he did manage to add seven receptions for 54 yards, his minimal impact to start the year has resulted in some stalled offensive drives.
McVay recently talked about wanting to get his star player more opportunities but this was seemingly not the day for that. Instead, Goff was asked to shoulder the load to mixed results.
Regardless, the Rams have a good opportunity to bounce back against a divisional on Thursday night. Needless to say, this is an important game for them to win given how tight the division currently looks.
