Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay didn’t mince words after Monday night’s loss, flat out saying the kicking game “cost us the game tonight.” Talk about blunt. This isn’t just some casual observation either, it’s a direct indictment of a special teams unit that has been bleeding points and momentum all season.
Kicking Carnage: A Costly Problem
The biggest casualty of this kicking catastrophe is clearly Mevis, who got the boot after Monday’s game. And honestly, it’s not surprising. He missed a 50-yard field goal and then, in overtime, had a potential game-winning kick blocked. That’s a brutal combo. Through the first five weeks, Mevis was just 5-for-7 on field goals, including a miss from 48 yards just last week against the Eagles. While he was perfect on extra points and a solid 19-for-20 inside 45 yards, his lack of consistency beyond that 45-yard mark was a glaring weakness. In today’s NFL, you absolutely need a kicker who can hit from range when called upon.
The issues aren’t new either. The Rams have now had three blocked field goal attempts since the start of last season, which ties them for the most in the entire NFL. And if you zoom out even further, under McVay since 2017, they’ve racked up a staggering 81 missed or blocked kicks, putting them third-most in the league. That’s not just a bad stretch, that’s a systemic problem. They’ve signed Blake Grupe from the Jets in a desperate attempt to fix things.
Landman’s Heroics Can’t Mask The Mess
Lost in all this special teams drama is the incredible individual effort from Rams linebacker Nate Landman. This dude is a legitimate fumble-forcing machine. He’s tied with Pittsburgh Steelers star TJ Watt for the most forced fumbles since 2024, with 10 total. He darn near added to that legacy Monday night too. Landman forced two fumbles on All-Pro running back James Cook III, and Aaron Donald even recovered one of them. Landman said after the game he would’ve liked to have made a few more plays, and while the team didn’t jump on the other loose ball, his “peanut punch” is consistently jarring the ball free. He’s doing everything he can to put his team in a position to win, but even that wasn’t enough this time.
More Problems: Suspension Adds To The Pile
And if the kicking woes and missed opportunities weren’t enough, the Rams also got hit with a two-game suspension for offensive tackle Alaric Jackson. Why? Because he punched Bradley Chubb. Seriously? So now, on top of everything else, a key offensive lineman is out for a couple of weeks because of a completely avoidable disciplinary action.
The Rams clearly have a lot to sort out. Between a volatile kicking situation, critical turnovers they can’t convert, and now a key suspension, the team is staring down a mountain of problems that need fixing ASAP if they want to turn this season around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
Leave a Reply