A battered Rams team faces a near must-win at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The tone for the Rams' season was set from the beginning when they went to Australia using a tight travel schedule that was highly criticized and were blown out by San Francisco.

Los Angeles, which entered the season as the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl, hasn't quite recovered, the losses piling up as well as the number of injured players.

The Rams go into Sunday's game at Las Vegas at 2-4 with the odds considerably stacked against them to even make the playoffs, making this matchup against the Raiders (3-3) close to a must-win.

“We can’t sit there and look at the big picture and go, ‘OK, we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that,’ or whatever,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “That’s not the mindset at all around here.”

Since the playoffs expanded from 12 to 14 teams in the 2020 season, only seven of the 36 clubs that opened 2-4 have made the postseason. Should the Rams win this weekend, the numbers are slightly better at 10 of 41. But only four of the 33 teams that began 2-5 made the playoffs.

Las Vegas — the oddsmakers and the Raiders — still believes in LA.

The Rams are fifth across the sportsbooks at 12-1 to win the Super Bowl.

“I know the Rams are 2-4, but when you watch the tape and see the statistics behind the record, you see a really, really good football team that could easily have one of the best records in the league,” Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “So we understand the challenge we have, the great players they have and great coaches, and we’ve got to be at our best.”

There's an argument the rebuilding Raiders also have a record that doesn't tell the complete story, even after a three-game losing streak.

They have played only one stinker, a 45-17 loss at New England two weeks ago. Sandwiched around that loss were a pair of three-point defeats to Super Bowl contenders Kansas City and Buffalo .

“It’s such a competitive game and if you’re just hoping to keep it close in the fourth quarter, that’s not a winning mindset,” Las Vegas first-year coach Klint Kubiak said.

Maybe the Raiders will find a way if this game is close in the fourth quarter.

The Rams, who are 4 1/2-point favorites after the betting line opened at 8 1/2, need to find a way to win despite a slew of injuries, including to star defensive end Myles Garrett and wide receiver Davante Adams.

“Our full focus and concentration is on the Raiders,” coach Sean McVay said. “That’s the exact sense that I’ve gotten from the guys.”

Los Angeles Rams (2-4) at Las Vegas (3-3).

When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox.

Latest odds: Rams by 4 1/2.

Against the spread: Rams 2-4; Raiders 5-1.

Last week: Rams lost to the Cardinals 18-16; Raiders lost to the Bills 33-30.

Last meeting: Rams won 20-15 on Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, California.

Series record: 8-8.

Raiders tight ends vs. Rams pass coverage. Since Brock Bowers returned a knee injury in Week 3, the Raiders have used multiple tight ends on an league-high 83% of plays, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Their 1,345 yards receiving by tight ends when two or more on the field is the league's highest.

— The Rams have been above .500 after six games only once in the five seasons since they won the Super Bowl in February 2022.

— This is the Rams’ first regular-season visit to Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders’ $2 billion arena that opened in 2020.

— NFL MVP Matthew Stafford leads the league with 1,794 yards passing and 164 completions, but has six interceptions. He didn’t throw that many picks last season until Dec. 29.

— The Rams have a four-game winning streak in the series, but they haven’t had a 300-yard passer against the Raiders since Jim Everett in October 1991.

— Raiders kicker Matt Gay won a Super Bowl ring with the Rams, but they allowed him to walk in free agency in early 2023. Los Angeles has had upheaval at the position ever since. Newcomer Brandon McManus will become their sixth kicker in only 58 games since Gay’s departure. Gay has made 8 of 9 field goals for Las Vegas.

— Bowers averages 95.5 yards receiving, which if it holds will break Kellen Winslow's record for a tight end when he averaged 94.7 in 1984.

— Cousins is tied for first with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and San Francisco's Brock Purdy with 14 touchdown passes.

— Las Vegas has scored at least 25 points five times this season to tie Buffalo and Detroit for most in the NFL.

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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