3 Rams to blame for blowing chance at first-place tie in NFC West

The Philadelphia Eagles torched the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football to advance to 9-2 on the season. There isn't a hotter team in football right now. Saquon Barkley was on another planet, totaling 302 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice.

It was less fun on the Rams end, despite a few impressive flourishes from Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. We know this Rams offense is capable of explosive performances, but the Eagles defense was in Matthew Stafford's grill all night. Los Angeles was able to tack on a touchdown in garbage time to make the final score 37-20, but this will go down as an Eagles blowout.

With the loss, the Rams are 5-6, tied for third (and last) in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers. The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks are both 6-5, so the Rams missed an opportunity to move into a first-place tie. This has been a difficult season of injuries for Los Angeles, but Sean McVay generally has some magic up his sleeve. Not on Sunday night, though. It was all Eagles.

There is plenty of blame to be shifted around here, but these Rams deserve the most pointed criticism after the loss.

Rams tackle Warren McClendon, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was thrust into an outsized role on Sunday due to various injuries on the O-line. This has been an ongoing struggle for the Rams, who can't seem to get their healthy offensive line on the field. McClendon was unable to offer much resistance against a hungry Eagles pass rush.

It has been an up and down second campaign for McClendon, fluctuating between imposing and flimsy performances on any given week. This is to be expected — young offensive linemen often face a steep learning curve — but when he was needed against a dominant Eagles front, McClendon was outmanned. Point blank.

He especially struggled with Philadelphia vet Brandon Graham.

The Rams need health more than anything else on the offensive line. It's way too early to lose faith in McClendon, but he was a sore spot on Sunday.

Kyren Williams put together a respectable outing on the surface — 16 carries for 72 yards and a score — but he also committed two fumbles, losing one of them. This has been an ongoing struggle for Williams this season, leading Rams fans to wonder about the potential for more Blake Corum in the weeks to come.

Williams has now lost four fumbles in 2024 — a career-worst after fumbling thrice all of last season.

This was a game of possessions for Los Angeles. Philadelphia dominated time of possession, especially in the first half, and ended up running away with a dominant third quarter. There were moments for the Rams to get back into this game. Fumbles were an unnecessary, back-breaking obstacle, and Williams naturally stands out.

It's also worth noting that Williams did not register a single reception, which is odd for a RB with his dynamic skill set. There is blame to go to Stafford, McVay, and others for that, but WIlliams just wasn't as sharp and dominant as the Rams needed him to be. He poked a few holes in the Eagles defensive front, but Williams desperately needs to cut down on the mistakes.

Is Matthew Stafford cooked? It brings me great pain to type this, but the Rams QB just didn't look sharp on Sunday. This Eagles defense is a pain in the you know what — especially when the aforementioned McClendon and the O-line can't win their assignments. Los Angeles double-teamed Jalen Carter all night, but that just opened up lanes for Philadelphia's other top-shelf pass-rushers.

Stafford looked woefully immobile, taking five sacks for a loss of 45 yards. Not all of those sacks are on him, but Stafford made his career on quickly reading the defense and delivering nutty throws under pressure. He wasn't making those trademark 'wow' throws on Sunday, and the Rams' offense quickly fell apart down the stretch.

He finished the game with a respectable 243 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 24-of-36 passes, but we can't really credit Stafford for that final drive with the game out of reach. Cooper Kupp made a gorgeous diving catch in the end zone with a couple minutes left on the fourth quarter clock, but it was too little, too late. Stafford is the head of the snake for a Rams offense that has been elite in the past. He's not to the point of unplayability, but the 36-year-old is starting to show his age a bit.

The Eagles are a tough opponent, but this was a sobering performance for the two-time Pro Bowl QB.