The Los Angeles Rams Don’t Care About September, and That’s Perfectly Fine

As NFL teams lock in for the upcoming season, excuse the Los Angeles Rams as they search for the date of the bye week.

While most teams are intent on incorporating new faces and another year of experience into the mix, the Rams are more curious about when they need to hit the gas pedal.

Head coach Sean McVay has another Super Bowl contender on his hands, even if some wagering prognosticators list them around the ninth or 10th best option to win a second title in five seasons.

The Rams aren’t the sexy pick to win it all. They have stars like Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Puka Nacua at wide receiver. But Aaron Donald has been gone for a full season, and Cooper Kupp is now with the rival Seattle Seahawks.

And while getting off to a fast start is the goal for many, the Rams are the thoroughbred looking for a comfortable spot through the first two turns — intent on making their move toward the end of the backstretch before finding a hole on the rail or going four wide to chase down the field.

The Rams under McVay stress the preseason but have never stressed over it — at least the games anyway. Over the last two seasons, they have treated the start of the schedule as the time to figure out their pluses and minuses.

In 2023, the Rams were just 3-6 at the bye week and written off as a team looking more toward the draft. Stafford missed the last of those first nine games — a loss to the Green Bay Packers — with an elbow injury.

After the bye, though, the Rams went 7-1 and pushed the Detroit Lions to the brink in the wild-card round of the playoffs, and on the road no less.

In 2024, it was another unsightly start with Nacua and Kupp nursing injuries. The Rams were 1-4 at the bye but went 9-3 down the stretch, crushed the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round and took the Philadelphia Eagles to the limit in the divisional round, again on the road.

Better known as the day Saquon Barkley had a monster, chest-thumping day running through the snow for the Eagles, the Rams saw things differently.

On a day they allowed a humbling 285 yards rushing — 205 of that to Barkley alone — the Rams still found their way to the Philadelphia 18-yard line on second down with 1:19 remaining and a chance to advance. A sack and two incompletions ended their season.

They were a manageable touchdown pass away from a date with the Washington Commanders at home in the NFC Championship game. A win there would have created a full head of steam and a date against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

So while the Chiefs enter the season looking to shore up details from their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in order to win it all again, the Rams are quietly doing the same thing.

Key to the confidence in Los Angeles is a dynamic young defense that emerged from the shadow of Donald’s departure. The pass rush is relentless with Byron Young, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. The run defense? Not so much.

Also vital is the health of the 37-year-old Stafford, who has barely participated in preseason practices with an aggravated disk in his back. He doesn’t play in preseason games anyway and already knows the offense as well as anybody.

Sure, he could have used more time to get in sync with new wide receiver Davante Adams. Or maybe that’s what the pre-bye schedule affords.

Alaric Jackson remains a question mark early at left tackle after dealing with blood clots, while Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein anchor the pass protection and run-blocking schemes.

The running back position is a strength with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Williams just agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension following a Pro Bowl appearance in 2023 and an 11th-place finish in offensive player of the year voting last season.

Yet it is Stafford who holds the keys — knowing he can red-line the engine early, or go into fuel-saving mode as the season gets underway.

“He looks like the stud that we know,” McVay said of Stafford, before shifting to a more cautious tone while talking about Stafford making all of his progressions in his return to the field.

“I know he’s doing everything he can to take great care of himself,” McVay said.

Success after the bye week this season depends on it.