Fansided · Dec 7, 2025
Rams defensive struggles against backups may pose a huge challenge in Week 14
Las Vegas Raiders v Los Angeles Rams | Ric Tapia/GettyImagesIf you had to cite common factors in the three losses for the 9-3 Los Angeles Rams, what might you cite as those common factors? While the first common factors to come to mind can be either poor performances on special teams or poor officiating, there is another variable that has led to struggles.
This team seems to play down to backups.
Los Angeles lost to a San Francisco 49ers offense that relied heavily on backups in Week 5. The same facing-backups conundrum challenged Los Angeles in Week 13. In both cases, the team lost to a team that fielded multiple backups. And in both cases, LA lost a game that they were expected to win.
