Despite an offense missing star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and several starting linemen, the Rams have enjoyed opportunities aplenty to finish drives with touchdowns.
The problem for the 1-3 Rams: Instead of reaching the end zone from inside the 20-yard line, they are kicking field goals.
The Rams have scored only seven touchdowns in 17 opportunities from inside the 20. That places them at No. 28 in the NFL for red-zone touchdown percentage, 41.2%, according to teamrankings.com.
So, while rookie kicker Joshua Karty is tied for sixth in the NFL with nine field goals, coach Sean McVay, his staff and players are, well, kicking themselves.
It’s a pressing situation. The Green Bay Packers (2-2) are coming to SoFi Stadium on Sunday with a chance to possibly push the Rams out of playoff contention before the postseason race even begins.
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In the Rams’ 24-18 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, their first four drives ended with two field goals, a lost fumble and a missed field-goal attempt.
In the second half, they drove to the Bears’ seven yard-line and settled for another field goal before finally scoring a touchdown.
“It hasn’t been just that game,” McVay said Wednesday of his team’s struggle to score touchdowns from inside the 20. “We’ve been in the red area a lot. … The field shortens. Everything, the margin for error, gets that much smaller, and so ultimately all that being said, we have to do a better job.
“And that will be a big point of emphasis … because it’s cost us so far this year.”
Fixing the problem “boils down to decision-making and execution,” McVay said.
“When those two things are aligned, a lot of good things happen,” he said, “and unfortunately that wasn’t the case the other day, and so it cost us.”
Scoring touchdowns in the red zone is challenging because the space a defense must defend and the “windows” to fit passes into are smaller, quarterback Matthew Stafford said.
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“There’s definitely some things that make it a little bit tougher, but if you execute well down there you can usually find your way into it,” he said. “We haven’t done a good enough job of that the last couple of weeks.”
Kupp remains out because of an ankle injury and Nacua cannot return from injured reserve until after the Rams play the Packers. McVay has given no indication that either is on track to be ready when the Rams play the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 20.
So, Stafford continues to work with a receiver corps that includes Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, rookie Jordan Whittington and Tyler Johnson. Running back Kyren Williams and tight end Colby Parkinson have been other options.
“Individually as players and collectively as a group … we just need to execute the plays that are called a little bit better,” Stafford said.
Etc.
Cornerback Darious Williams and defensive lineman Larrell Murchison returned to practice and were limited Wednesday. Their availability for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium has not been determined. “I think it’s really just them looking like themselves,” McVay said when asked what he would need to see for Williams and Murchison to be activated. “And being able to just go cut it loose and play the way that you need to be able to play when you’re playing in a real full-speed game. … There’s nothing quite like getting out here on the grass in these competitive settings, and so that’s what we’ll be looking for, and we’re hopeful that that’ll be the case and they’ll be helping us this week.” Williams has been on injured reserve since before the season opener because of a hamstring injury suffered on the second day of training camp. Murchison suffered an arm injury during a preseason game. … Receiver Robinson (hip) was limited.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.