Raiders-Rams preview: Are Rams getting healthy this week?

There are plenty of unknowns when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams Week 7 matchup this Sunday.

The Raiders are searching for their identity after trading Davante Adams and stumbling out of the gate, while injuries have plagued the Rams so far and tested the team's depth. That makes the game a bit of a toss-up, so Turf Show Times' Evan Craig was kind enough to answer a few questions about Los Angeles for Raider Nation.

Q: The Rams have been decimated by injuries to begin the season but it sounds like they should be getting a few players back soon. So for starters, can you shed some light on which key players could return this week and who will still be out?

A: For one, offensive lineman Joe Notebloom could return sooner rather than later. Sean McVay said Notebloom could possibly play this week, but that'll depend on how he fares in workouts leading up to Sunday. Cooper Kupp could also surprisingly return this week as well as he makes his way back from a high-ankle sprain. Like Notebloom, his return is dependent on practice this week.

Unfortunately, the team is still waiting on second-year lineman Steve Avila, Puka Nacua and John Johnson III. Those three are unlikely to return against the Raiders but should be available over the next few weeks, granted there are no setbacks.

Q: Building on that, Los Angeles enters this weekend at 1-4 with an offense that ranks 24th in points per game and a defense that is 29th in points per game allowed. Are the team's issues solely a result of injuries or are there bigger/other issues at play? If it is just injuries, who needs to step up to turn things around?

A: Injuries have been the main issue for the Rams' issues. The offense in particular has been decimated by them as Stafford hasn't had his top two receivers in the same game since the opener in Detroit.

That said, wide receiver Tutu Atwell must step up with Kupp possibly out for another week at the very least and Nacua on IR. Atwell is a speedster who can really take the top off the defense. He has demonstrated his ability to be an effective target for Stafford and has to carry the load again as the main contributors work their way back.

Defensively, first-year DC Chris Shula must step up himself and scheme up better plans to stop the opposition if the Rams have any chance of making another second-half surge. The unit has been largely poor overall, although the stats are slightly inflated due to the 31-point loss to Arizona.

Shula was dealt a tough hand by being forced to "replace" a Hall of Famer like Aaron Donald and working with a super young roster. However, his unit has shown little growth through the first five games, and if he cannot turn it around quickly, McVay might have no choice but to move on from his hand-picked coordinator.

Q: This offseason, the Rams lost future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald to retirement. How has the defense managed to replace Donald's production? What are the early reviews on young pass rushers Byron Young, Jared Verse, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske?

A: Well, there's no replacing Donald's production and it's growing more obvious by the week.

The Rams don't have a very consistent pass rush whatsoever and it's hurting their ability to get off the field and keep opposing offenses at bay. In total, the defense has just 9 sacks and 15 QB hits as a unit. Growing pains were expected once AD called it quits, but the current production is simply not good enough.

Early returns on Kobie Turner are great as he leads the team in sacks and is perhaps the best of the young pass rushers. Byron Young is another one who has so much potential and speed, yet he hasn't been consistent enough to put it all together. Rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske are gradually improving each week, but it's very clear they need more time to be the vicious sack masters fans want them to be.

Q: There are at least a handful of Raider fans who seem to be interested in the idea of acquiring Matthew Stafford in the offseason. Given his age and contract situation, has the idea of the Rams moving on from Stafford been floating around?

A: No disrespect to the Raiders , but there is no way in hell Matthew Stafford would be interested in joining that mess. He didn't want to be a part of another rebuild in Detroit, so zero chance he willingly goes to a team that shipped off its top player.

If the idea of the Rams moving Stafford has been floated around, the front office doesn't appear to be taking it very seriously, nor have they been floating it around. I believe that for now, it's nothing but a silly rumor with little to no substance to it.

Of course, if the team continues losing and starts trading top players like Cooper Kupp, then I could see a Stafford trade being possible in the offseason. Until then, don't bet on it Raider Nation.

Q: On a related note, with Los Angeles sitting at 1-4, do you think the organization will be more focused on building for the future rather than making a playoff run for the rest of the 2024 campaign? Are we in store for a tank-off on Sunday?

A: To answer the second part of your question first, I think we could be in for a crappy game. It'll likely be fairly low-scoring and only moderately enjoyable to those heavily intoxicated.

There were rumblings about the Rams building for the future and forgetting about the playoffs after LA started 3-6 last year. Once the team won seven of its final eight games and made the playoffs as a six-seed, all that talk went out the window.

I'm afraid there isn't much optimism about the Rams building momentum out of the bye as very little from their first five games have indicated that this is a playoff team. They haven't been blown out (besides the Cardinals game), but they also haven't been able to close out games as evidenced by losses to the Bears and Packers .

Injuries have also KILLED LA this season and will likely be the culprit for them missing the dance this year, should they fail to get any momentum after the bye. It's a shame too as there was so much promise ahead of the regular season.