LOS ANGELES — To open the NFL season in Detroit, the Rams’ offense looked more like a repair shop than an assembly line.
The Rams came into Week 1 already working some backups into the swing of things. In-game injuries to Puka Nacua, Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom meant the orchestrators of the offense had to adjust in real time. As soon as they found their footing, they had to search for a new rhythm all over again.
“Just trying to make sure that I’m up to date on who’s up and who’s down,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Who am I taking snaps with, what’s it going to look like in front and how can I try to turn protections to maybe help people, or not. Do the best that I can to try to let us operate at a high level and not miss much of a beat. Have to give (head coach) Sean (McVay) a ton of credit for doing the same thing, being able to adjust on the fly. Really all of our guys that stepped in there and moved around and made plays.”
It was a valiant effort that included a second-half comeback to take a fourth-quarter lead. But Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp had a different idea of how to finish a route on the pivotal third down, and the Lions scored on back-to-back possessions to steal back the win.
This week against the Arizona Cardinals (0-1), the Rams (0-1) hope to have a little bit more injury luck, and the benefits of consistency that come with that luck.
Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is back after missing the season opener, giving the Rams three of five projected starters again along the offensive line.
And the Rams look like they’ve rediscovered something in receiver Tyler Johnson that can tide them over as they wait for Nacua’s return.
Johnson won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the Buccaneers, then caught 36 passes for 360 yards in his second season. He was waived prior the 2022 season and spent all of that year bouncing around practice squads, before landing on the Rams’ in 2023. He played in Week 18 last year, catching two passes for eight yards as the Rams rested their starters.
But Johnson’s ability to make plays stood out even on the practice squad, and he carried that over into impressive OTAs and training camp. When given the opportunity after Nacua’s injury last weekend, he showed he was ready for a bigger role alongside Kupp and Demarcus Robinson.
“I think we all attack the game the same way,” Johnson said. “There’s a saying, ‘If you stay ready, you don’t got to get ready.’ So I approach that every day, whether it’s practice, whether it’s a game, whether it’s life. Just stay ready and stay in the moment.”
The Rams hope they won’t need anymore of that mentality in Arizona this weekend. No next men up, just a clean game of football against a divisional rival.
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But if they do have to pivot again, there’s some built-up confidence after the team handled it nimbly against the Lions.
“Tough team, mentally and physically,” Stafford said of the Rams. “I was really proud of the mental strength that it takes to not blink, not miss a beat, come out there in the second half and play high-caliber football. That’s really both sides of the ball. … (I) was proud to see that those guys didn’t blink in quite a bit of adversity in a tough environment on the road. That’s going to serve us well throughout the season.”
RAMS (0-1) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-1)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
TV/radio: Fox (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 380, 225