Breven Honda
The Los Angeles Rams currently stand at 2-3 heading into their matchup against the Arizona Cardinals (1-4) inside SoFi Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Five games in, the Rams are trying to figure out their future.
Will they try and make another playoff run or position themselves to get the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft?
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft: Bears land Caleb Williams, Raiders and Broncos make bold choices
Making the case for the Los Angeles Rams to go after the No. 1 pick
Among the potential top picks in next April’s draft, the top option is quarterback Caleb Williams, who plays less than 10 miles away from SoFi Stadium at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the USC Trojans.
Right now, it is a difficult path to go after the No. 1 pick.
The Los Angeles Rams are one of eight teams with a 2-3 record, and there are another seven teams that are either 0-5 or 1-4.
Luckily, some teams probably would not go after Williams, such as Houston, who drafted C.J. Stroud in last year’s draft.
As of now, teams that may want Williams in the draft include Chicago (if they trade Justin Fields), Arizona, Minnesota (if they let Kirk Cousins leave in free agency), and New England, among others.
If the Rams have the desire to lose and want to contend for the top pick, it is going to be difficult, especially looking at the current roster.
Related: See where the Los Angeles Rams land in Sportsnaut’s power rankings
How the Rams roster leans more toward a playoff run
The Rams’ 53-man roster has players who can produce at a high level and are showing no signs of giving up through five games.
Although the team traded running back Cam Akers and wide receiver Van Jefferson in the last couple of weeks, the Rams have strong weapons that still affect the outcome of a game in a positive way.
From quarterback Matthew Stafford and Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp on offense to seven-time All Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald on defense, these are only a few of the many weapons on this squad for the foreseeable future.
Despite being 2-3, Donald said it comes down to finding success at a higher rate.
“I don’t think we’re playing bad football,” Donald said Thursday to reporters. “Just a couple of mistakes here and there. Missed tackles, missed opportunities that we’re leaving on the field that you wish you had back, but it’s the nature of the game. You have to try to eliminate those mistakes. We just have to play better, more consistent.”
“I think we still haven’t put it all together. Once we do that, we are going to be the team that we want to be. I think we got the talent. We got the coaches. We just got to go out there and execute.”
In Kupp’s case, he only played nine games last season due to an ankle injury that required surgery and started this year very cautious with a hamstring injury before making his debut this past week.
When Kupp is on the field, his production in the Rams offense is through the roof.
In 2021, Kupp averaged eight receptions per game and was 53 receiving yards from 2,000 for the year while also scoring 16 times.
Related: Los Angeles Rams game today: TV schedule, channel, and more
In seven of the eight full games Kupp played, he recorded at least seven receptions and 79 yards with six touchdowns. In addition, despite a 24-9 loss to San Francisco in Week 4 last year, Kupp totaled 14 receptions on 19 targets for 122 yards.
Even in his debut last week against the reigning NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, Kupp was an important piece in the offense with eight receptions on 12 targets for 118 yards.
Seeing that Kupp led the team in targets and had a 32 percent target share last week in his season debut explains his importance to the team and the offense.
Even when Kupp was not on the field the first four games, the Rams still had a go-to producer in the receiver room in rookie Puka Nacua, who was drafted in the fifth round last April.
Nacua, who leads the NFL with 46 receptions this season, has recorded at least five receptions and 71 yards in every game, including last week when Kupp made his return, recording ten receptions on 15 targets for 119 yards.
Now that Kupp is back, in addition to Nacua, the passing game remains one of the league’s best when healthy. Add in a strong running game by Kyren Williams and the offensive line, and it is one of the most prolific offenses in football.
The Rams have four games remaining before their bye in Week 10. After facing Arizona this week, Los Angeles hosts the Steelers to conclude a stretch of three straight home games before going on the road to Dallas and Green Bay before the one-week break.
The first two games after the bye week are against a couple of divisional opponents in a home matchup against Seattle and a road matinee in Arizona before two consecutive games against AFC North competition against Cleveland and Baltimore.
The next four games before and after the bye week are going to tell a lot about where this team will be and its decision for the final stretch, whether the Rams want to make a playoff run or opt for a better draft slot with the NFL trade deadline looming at the end of the month.
Related: NFL trade rumors: Latest on Kyler Murray, Las Vegas Raiders and more
