Sean McVay's offense has struggled through the first four weeks of the 2022 season.
Coming off a Super Bowl victory, the Los Angeles Rams rank 29th in points per game (17.5), 28th in total yards per game (294.0), 30th in rush yards per game (68.5) and are tied for 28th in giveaways per game (2.3), all the worst through four weeks in the McVay era.
L.A. has scored 20 or fewer points in three of four games in 2022, including each of its last two.
"I'm not sitting here going to make excuses for why we have or haven't done the things that are in alignment with maybe the expectations we have, but there's a lot of football to be played," McVay said Tuesday, via the team's official transcript. "The story isn't written yet. We do have a say in how that story is written, but to make sure that you're continuing to keep the spirits up and not let some of the expectations get in the way of enjoying and competing to the highest level through the first quarter or four games is definitely something that you want to be mindful of. But I've got a good sense for this team. We've got great mental makeup and we've just got to continue to battle and stay in the moment."
McVay will have to rewrite his script quickly with the Dallas Cowboys defense on tap in Week 5.
Dan Quinn's D leads the NFL in QB hits through four weeks with 36 and is tied for second in sacks with 15. Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence, et al. present a massive problem for the injury riddled Rams offensive line.
L.A. has given up 16 sacks through four games, with seven coming in Week 1 to Buffalo and seven Monday against San Francisco. Those facts could portend a rough day for Matthew Stafford against Dallas.
"Yeah, I think when you look at it, through four games, 14 of those occurred in two of those games," McVay said of the sacks given up. "The first game was a challenge. Then (Monday night), there was a couple where they did a good job winning on a five-man rush, sometimes even on a four-man rush when we got into known passing (situations). Then like I had mentioned, a couple of those were just mental errors that are uncharacteristic for our players to make.
"We want to try to minimize the amount of times that our quarterback's getting hit. The way that both those games have kind of unfolded, that is not ideal. That is something that we take a lot of pride in and we've got to be able to clean it up. But it's always a team sport. There's a lot of things that I feel very responsible for. Then each one of those 16 has kind of a separate conversation to be had, but none of which is okay to have that many through four games. (It) always starts with some of the things that I've got to do better job for our players and then collectively being able to execute better."
McVay has never had a losing record through Week 2 or later in any season with the Rams. L.A.'s worst record through Week 2 or later in any season under the coach was 8-7 after Week 16 in 2019 (the only year they missed the playoffs).
If the Rams can't block the Cowboys' ferocious pass rush Sunday, those streaks will come to an end.
