The Los Angeles Rams are looking to bounce back on Sunday after losing a disappointing game to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, which dropped them below .500 for the first time this season. The Indianapolis Colts may not have looked like a very formidable opponent before the season started, but they’re 2-1 and just beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road with a backup quarterback.
Taking down the Colts won’t be easy on Sunday afternoon, especially being on the road again with an early 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but the Rams have the talent to notch their second win of the season.
Buy Rams TicketsHere’s a look at the Rams’ five biggest causes for concern in Week 4 against the Colts.
1
Brutal travel schedule
As if it’s not bad enough that the Rams have a short week after playing on Monday night, they also have a tough travel schedule. They played in Cincinnati on Monday, flew back to Los Angeles and will have to fly out again on Saturday before Sunday’s game in Indianapolis.
That’s a lot of traveling in a short week, especially for a team that’s somewhat banged up heading into Week 4. And to make matters worse, it’s the dreaded 10 a.m. PT kickoff time for the West Coast Rams.
Don’t be surprised if they come out a little sluggish on Sunday.
2
Protecting Matthew Stafford vs. Colts pass rush
The Colts pass rush has been pretty good through three weeks, recording 12 total sacks on the year. Their pass-rush grade of 74.7 at PFF ranks eighth among all teams, led by players such as DeForest Buckner, Kwity Paye and the familiar Samson Ebukam.
The Rams had a lot of trouble against the Bengals on Monday night and while some of that was because Alaric Jackson got hurt, but the rest of the line struggled, too. It wasn’t just Zach Thomas.
The hope is that Jackson can play but if he can’t, the Rams will need to figure out a way to slow down Indianapolis’ pass rush.
3
Limiting big plays to Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman has 34 targets already this season, so he’s going to get a lot of looks on Sunday regardless of who’s in coverage. What the Rams can’t allow to happen is for Pittman to create big plays and beat them consistently the way Ja’Marr Chase did.
They have to force someone else to beat them, whether that’s Josh Downs or Alec Pierce. Pittman is a dangerous receiver who can win at all levels of the field, so it’ll be on Ahkello Witherspoon and the other corners to limit his production this weekend.
4
Getting the ground game going
The Rams had no confidence running the ball against the Bengals, as evidenced by Sean McVay’s refusal to hand it off to Kyren Williams. Williams only had 10 carries in the loss and he’s averaging only 3.6 yards per carry this season.
If the running game doesn’t get going early against the Colts, we could see McVay shift more toward the passing attack again. It’s not the way they want the game to unfold, but if the Colts dare Los Angeles to throw it, McVay will oblige.
5
Turning red zone trips into touchdowns
The Rams went 1-for-4 in the red zone last week, with the only touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter when they were just about out of the game anyway. The play calling from McVay in the red zone was highly questionable, going against what had been working near the goal line in the first two weeks: running it with Williams.
If the Rams once again fail to turn red-zone trips into touchdowns, they’re going to keep the Colts in the game and likely fall behind. McVay has to get the play calling inside the 20 figured out because it was not good enough in Week 3.
