The Los Angeles Rams were supposed to be virtually unbeatable this season, but through six weeks appear to be much better on paper than on the field. Adding legendary defenders Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald to an electric offense full of superstars was thought to be the recipe for Sean McVay’s team to build on last year’s trip to the NFC Championship Game. After a brutal loss to the middling Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 18, the Rams sit at 2-4 and have lots of work to do to get back on the right side of the playoff picture.
The same sports talk shows that hyped up the Rams as an unstoppable superteam during the summer are grappling with reality. Predictably, the narrative is swinging violently in the other direction.
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Rams have struggled
ESPN’s Chris Canty threw some cold water on any existing Rams’ optimism during Tuesday’s First Take. ‘
“It’s a wrap, man, they just lost to a team that didn’t score an offensive touchdown. They lost to a team that kicked six field goals,” Canty said.
“I knew that this Rams team could run into a little bit of trouble because superteams never work in the NFL,” Canty continued. “When you bring in guys to play different roles from an X’s and O’s standpoint, but also a leadership standpoint, it’s always going to be challenging. There’s always going to be a learning curve. You couple that with the fact that it is a top-heavy roster, and when you have guys injured that exacerbates the depth or lack thereof, you get these results.”
Canty expressed uncertainty about the Rams getting things back on track and wondered if they’ll be able to respond the right way to the unmet expectations.
“It’s a wrap, man.” —@ChrisCanty99 on the Rams’ fading Super Bowl chances after their loss to the Cardinals 📉 https://t.co/qNhzMEsKxC
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 20, 2026
Everything he said makes sense. If nothing else, the preseason buildup looks a bit irresponsible right now.
Yet it seems way too early to suggest that Los Angeles’ Super Bowl dreams are over. There are 11 games for them to start playing like the team that was promised. Matthew Stafford is still under center, and Puka Nacua is always ready to take a game over. Garrett is expected to make it back on the field this season, even if a return date is not known. McVay has proven himself to be an elite coach in this league, and the roster has plenty of winning pedigree.
Rams have plenty of time to right ship
The first step in winning a Super Bowl is qualifying for the postseason. Even though the Rams find themselves 14th in the NFC standings, the picture isn’t quite that bleak. They can help their cause doubly by beating 3-3 Seattle and the 2-4 Cardinals in the second matchup this season. There’s a whole cadre of teams that shouldn’t be trusted above them — Atlanta, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Dallas. NFC North teams will start beating up on each other soon, and 10 wins will likely earn a wild-card spot.
This is not to say there aren’t major problems and Rams fans shouldn’t do a little pre-panicking. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. On the other hand, if L.A. does sneak into the playoffs, not a single team will want to play against the Rams. Even if they aren’t nearly as scary as advertised.
If things are going to turn around, it’ll have to happen over the next four games. The Rams get the Raiders, Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals in succession. It’s completely reasonable to expect them to be 6-4 after that and firmly on the right side of the line.
Maybe Canty isn’t wrong and is just a bit early. We’ll find out very soon.
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