By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Los Angeles will host the Super Bowl in February, and at this rate, neither of the city’s NFL teams will be there unless they buy a ticket like everyone else.
The Rams and Chargers began the season with big expectations. Through the first third of the campaign, both have tripped over them.
The Rams, a popular pick to win the Lombardi Trophy, fell to 2-4 on Sunday with an 18-16 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Kicker Chad Ryland was the only Cardinal who needed to show up. He made all six of his field goal attempts and scored every one of Arizona’s points.
“There’s nothing positive that I can say,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
It’s a steep fall for a team that won the title after the 2021 season, when the Super Bowl was also played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Hopes rose even higher when the Rams added defensive end Myles Garrett and talked Aaron Donald out of retirement in the offseason. On paper, that looked like a historically dominant defense. In reality, Garrett hasn’t played since the season opener because of a knee injury, and he’s expected to sit out again next weekend.
The offense, led by reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford, can’t find its rhythm, especially on third down. McVay’s pass-heavy play calling has also drawn heavy criticism.
WINLESS CHARGERS
The Rams still have time to recover. The Chargers have a much steeper climb after a 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium dropped them to 0-6. Before the season, they were seen as dark-horse Super Bowl contenders.
Quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense have been hit by injuries to key offensive linemen and receivers. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey left Sunday’s game with a concussion.
“We have to address everything, and especially offensively,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It starts with me.”
The Rams will try to get back on track next week when they visit the 3-3 Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers have a bye, then play the Rams on November 1 at SoFi Stadium, the state-of-the-art venue the teams share.
In that game the Chargers are the designated visitors, so will be looking for their first win as the road team in their own building.
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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