During his first 15 seasons in the NFL, Matthew Stafford’s teams had scheduled bye weeks at different times.
Three times, they arrived as early as week 5; once until week 10.
With the Rams 1-4 after an Oct. 6 loss to the Green Bay Packers, their star quarterback was asked if their Week 6 bye came at the right time.
“I don’t know,” Stafford said. “We’ll see.”
It’s a perfect mantra to carry the Rams through their remaining 12 games.
When they take on the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, we’ll see if coach Sean McVay has devised a workable plan to once again turn around a team on the verge of crashing out of the playoffs.
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We will see if the receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom are ready to return from injuries that left them rams shorthanded against the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Packers.
We’ll see if defensive coordinator Chris Shula has made adjustments to the scheme and personnel that will elevate the Rams from their statistical position at or near the bottom of the league.
One thing is for sure: The Rams can’t expect Stafford to produce miraculous comebacks every week.
Of course, he did it for the 36th time in a win over the 49ers at SoFi Stadium.
McVay, the Rams and fans were no doubt expecting a repeat when Stafford staged a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Packers that brought the Rams within five points. Stafford got the ball with less than three minutes remaining and put the Rams in motion, but his fourth-down pass into Packers territory fell incomplete.
Stafford, 36, has persevered despite a still sketchy offensive line and the absence of star talent at receiver due to injury.
During the offseason, the Rams invested a total of $66 million in interior linemen Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson. They offered left tackle Alaric Jackson for almost $5 million.
Stafford, however, has yet to take a game behind the projected starting offensive line.
Alaric Jackson was suspended for two games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Avila and the versatile Noteboom went down in the season opener, and Jonah Jackson suffered a similar fate in Week 2.
Stafford played the last four games behind a line featuring rookie center Beaux Limmer, and the last three with left guard Logan Bruss, a 2022 draft pick, playing for the first time.
The Packers hit Stafford 10 times and sacked him three times, leaving him with a back pain.
Despite the line shuffle, running back Kyren Williams scores touchdowns. And after failing on their first opportunity against the Packers, the Rams showed better touchdown production inside the 20-yard line.
Receivers Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, rookie Jordan Whittington and tight end Colby Parkinson have all had their moments, but they are complementary players in a receiving corps that needs Kupp and Nacua.
The young defensive front made an impact early in the post-Aaron Donald era, but trade inside linebacker Ernest Jones IVand thinking that Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom could fill the void remains questionable.
The secondary is shaky, although Shula must have been encouraged by Jaylen McCollough’s interception return for a touchdown against the Packers.
McVay sat former cornerback Tre’Davious White against the Packers. Although the former All-Pro struggled, expecting a player coming off Achilles surgery to be himself at the start of the season was probably too much to ask.
Cornerback Darious Williams played for the first time this season against the Packers, and safety John Johnson III is eligible to return from injured reserve after the game against the Raiders.
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The special teams generally played well. Rookie kicker Joshua Karty was perfect until he missed a field goal attempt against the Bears and an extra point attempt against the Packers.
Last season, the Rams lost to the Packers in Week 9 and fell to 3-6 before returning from a bye week. Stafford went on to earn Pro Bowl recognition by leading the Rams to the playoffs.
Of the Rams’ remaining opponents, only the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles have winning records through Sunday.
Can McVay and Stafford lead the Rams into another playoff run?
We’ll see.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
