Rams’ “Dream Team” Collapses to Cardinals, Sparking Scrutiny Over Systemic Issues

The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2026 season as the NFL’s premier super-team and Super Bowl favorites, yet progress has stalled as they suffer their second consecutive loss.

Sky Sports NFL‘s Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold dissect the turning point during the latest episode of Inside the Huddle, analyzing why Sean McVay’s side fell apart against the Arizona Cardinals in a shocking 18-16 defeat on Sunday.

Their latest setback left the Rams sitting 2-4 at the bottom of the NFC West, with McVay asserting that little will change unless the unit finds a way to stop “beating themselves.”

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“Cast your mind back to the summer. It was a dream team,” said Reynolds on Inside the Huddle. “There’s no such thing as a dream team in the NFL.”

“I know we’ve had them over the years and they’ve never panned out. It was a dream team. They were the strongest of Super Bowl favourites.”

“The Rams didn’t just lose this game. They looked really out of sorts, like there was a hangover from the one they might have had against Buffalo on Monday night.”

The Rams made the biggest splash of the offseason this year when they traded for Defensive Player of the Year pass rusher Myles Garrett, who remains sidelined since Week One due to injury. They meanwhile lured Aaron Donald out of retirement to bolster a star-studded team already led by MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford, who took the Rams to the NFC Championship Game last season as they were narrowly-beaten by the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks.

For all their talent, the Rams have seen special teams prove a debilitating factor in recent games, and this week cut kicker Harrison Mevis after his poor start to the year. They replaced him with former New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe, who was hurt on Sunday while trying to tackle Devin Duvernay on a return.

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The Rams rank last in special teams EPA through six weeks, their struggles haunting them again Sunday when injury to Grupe forced them to go for two points after their first touchdown, which they failed to convert. Punter Ethan Evans later had to attempt the extra point, with backup quarterback Stetson Bennett coming in as the holder.

“The fact you fire your kicker after the Buffalo game, bring in a new guy, and then he gets hurt because you can’t cover a kickoff, right? He’s trying to make a tackle on a kickoff, he gets hurt, and now your punter is your kicker,” said Reinebold.

“They’re still very good. And Matthew Stafford throws two touchdowns and no picks and all that, but everything that can go wrong is going wrong.”

“Now you can say that the Rams are way better, their roster’s way better than the Cardinals, and that’s an argument you can make, but these are pro athletes. These are the best there are in the world. And if you give them a chance and you let them hang around, they’re good enough to beat you. And that’s what happened to the Rams.”

Speaking after the game, McVay shouldered the blame while insisting he needed to do a “much better job”, saying there were no positives to take from Sunday.

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[p]Marc Vuocchio, the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator, offered minimal insight ahead of the offseason reshuffle, focusing instead on preparing the defense for future matchups rather than addressing the immediate losses.

The Rams face the Las Vegas Raiders second in Week Seven, followed by a challenging trip to the Los Angeles Chargers, whose Justin Herbert is still recovering from injury. Viewers seeking a comprehensive coverage of the upcoming 2026 NFL season, including all playoff games and Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, can access it live on Sky Sports or stream contract-free through official channels.

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