National Football League

Los Angeles Rams come back to earth with loss to Arizona Cardinals

Updated Oct. 4, 2021 9:32 p.m. ET

The Rams are human after all.

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Through the first three weeks of the NFL season, Los Angeles looked like a handcrafted football juggernaut deposited straight from the football heavens.

Many analysts viewed the Rams as the best unit in football after their resounding 31-21 victory over Tom Brady and the Bucs to cap Week 3's Sunday slate. Aaron Donald was a regular disruptive force in the backfield, and it almost seemed like he wasn't getting double-teamed through the entire outing.

Jalen Ramsey was stellar in coverage, and Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford found offensive magic together, unleashing a torrent of big plays and at one point building a 17-point advantage as they thrashed Tampa Bay's secondary.

The conversation following the beatdown was heavily Rams-centric, as analysts sang their praises. Shannon Sharpe called Matthew Stafford "sensational," and Colin Cowherd named it the "best game any football team has played all year."

But the Rams found themselves on the losing end of the stick in Week 4, and it wasn't pretty. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals made a mockery of their defense, and Arizona's own protective troupe brought Los Angeles' streaking offense to a screeching stop.

The final tally: 37-20. And Murray was dominant.

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It was a humbling experience for the Rams, who returned from their trek across the NFL's skyline to join the host of squads that have suffered a loss this season. At 3-1, they're a game below Arizona and one above Seattle and San Francisco, having yet to play the latter two (they'll face Seattle on Thursday on FOX).

Their path to postseason prosperity now looks rockier than some once thought it would be.

Shannon Sharpe said on Monday's edition of "Undisputed" that the Rams failed to make plays when it counted.

"Matthew Stafford had a bad game. He missed some opportunities that he didn't in the first three games," he said. "Every throw that he had an opportunity to make, he missed. … But give the Cardinals credit. Arizona put the NFC on notice. That was a demolition."

Skip Bayless also didn't mince words in his evaluation of Los Angeles' loss. But his blame was directed at the team's coach.

"I was watching for coach ‘Sean Mc-Yay.' Where was he?" Bayless questioned. "I saw none of the running up the tunnel, slapping butts, showboating, laughing on the sideline.

"Was he ill? Maybe he ate something."

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Bayless was referring to McVay's celebrations during the Rams' win over Tampa Bay in Week 3.

Sharpe also took to criticizing the L.A. defense, which allowed 37 points to the Cards, the most the Rams have surrendered since they gave up 44 to Dallas in Week 15 of the 2019 season.

What's more, Sunday marked the first time L.A. had trailed at halftime this season, and it was the first time the Rams had turned the ball over more than their opponent, losing the turnover battle 2-0.

Los Angeles now ranks 27th in total defense (allowing 396.8 yards per game), 25th against the pass (273.3 yards per outing) and 22nd in rushing defense (123.5 yards per game).

The Rams still possess some of the league's most combustible offensive firepower, sitting ninth in total offense (391.3 YPG) and seventh in scoring (28.8 PPG) as of Monday afternoon.

But trading points with teams, especially when you play in the NFC West, is not an ideal winning formula. The Rams have about three days to change up their recipe.

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