Rams' offense swaps red zone inefficiency for turnover troubles in another one-score loss

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Just when the Los Angeles Rams seemed to address their problems with scoring touchdowns in the red zone, the offense found another issue to hamper them.

Turnovers. Way too many of them.

And they proved to be the difference in a 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

“You know, I think we’ve moved the ball nice between the 20's,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We just haven’t scored enough points. And it’s the name of the game in this league, you know. Got to score points, got to take care of the football.

"I think we can be better in both those areas.”

The Rams (1-4) lost a fumble and threw an interception in Packers territory on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. Green Bay (3-2) turned both takeaways into touchdowns and then was able to hold off a fourth-quarter push to send Los Angeles to its worst start through five games since 2014, which is also Sean McVay’s worst mark in his eight seasons as coach.

Running back Kyren Williams had the ball knocked out at the Packers 23 and safety Xavier McKinney recovered it. Two plays later, Tucker Kraft had a 66-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put Green Bay up 17-13.

The Rams put together an effective response, only for Stafford to loft the ball into double coverage on third down. McKinney came up with the pick and the Packers delivered another drive capped by Jordan Love's touchdown pass to Kraft to make it an 11-point lead.

Los Angeles had two lost fumbles and two interceptions through its first four games. Its lone win against San Francisco in Week 3 came when the offense did not give the ball away.

“Sometimes you can overcome that, but the majority of the time, you’re not able to,” McVay said.

Previous single-digit defeats had been defined by the Rams’ struggles scoring touchdowns inside the 20, going 7 for 17 (41.2%) through four games. Settling for field goals was the difference in an overtime loss at Detroit in the season opener and a six-point loss at Chicago last week.

The Rams were 2 for 3 in the red zone against the Packers, with Stafford crediting more consistency from the running game to set up Williams’ 1-yard scoring rush in the second quarter and his 1-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson with 3:30 remaining to pull within five points.

But Los Angeles didn’t convert from the Packers 4 in the first quarter, with two of Stafford's passes for tight end Colby Parkinson falling incomplete on third and fourth down.

“It’s frustrating to have those opportunities slip away, and points matter,” Stafford said. “They’re at a premium in this league. So just try to work and be as precise as we can.”

The empty possession, along with a missed extra point by rookie Joshua Karty and wide receiver Tutu Atwell’s unsuccessful jet sweep on a 2-point try in the fourth quarter, were mistakes that compounded the Rams’ turnover issues.

Even with those gaffes, the Rams still had a chance to win it on their final possession. Stafford drove them to the Packers 38, but he was pressured into a quick throw on fourth down just ahead of Parkinson on a slant to end the comeback bid with 1:02 to go.

The Rams fought out of similar struggles last season, rallying back from a 3-6 start to make the playoffs. It will take that kind of effort to do the same this year, and McVay said it must start with the discipline to avoid giving away opportunities.

“Before you can start winning games, you have to start learning how not to beat yourself,” he said. “But I am proud of the fight of this group. This one, this one is a tough one, but we’ll respond, we’ll look at ourselves, and we’ll figure out how to be better and continue to do a better job coaching.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass against Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (15) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay attends a news conference after the team's NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) forces an incompletion against Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (86) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid is trying to believe in the good that can come from asking for help. Embiid’s career has yielded an MVP — and so many more DNPs — with a biography littered by the kind of devastating injuries that can, in time, heal.

Ask even the most casual 76ers fan, and they can rattle off a CliffsNotes version of Embiid’s injury timeline: The broken bones in his feet, the grotesque dislocated finger that made it resemble a used bendy drinking straw, the torn meniscus in his right knee, the torn ligament in a thumb, a bout with Bell’s palsy, and even his latest ailment — a busted sinus that compelled him to ask a media horde to cut the camera lights because of his sensitivity to the brightness beaming in his face.

Embiid played Friday night wearing a carbon graphite mask straight out of the “Phantom of the Opera” prop department. He needed the protection to save his face from another errant elbow, another sudden strike, that could thrust him into the kind of prolonged absence that has defined his star-crossed career.

With the 7-footer boasting a wingspan that could stretch a couple of Liberty Bells, his knack for knocking down spot-up 3s, Embiid's presence in the lineup is all that separates the Philadelphia 76ers from a playoff team and title contender to one drowning in the NBA standings.

He feels the burden. He understands the hardships.

Selected by the 76ers with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid carries the weight of expectations of Philly — and beyond — with him, and the injuries that sidelined the 2023 MVP and have denied him a real shot at being heralded as one of the NBA's greats have led him to admit the cracks they formed in his mental health was something he could no longer ignore.

So the native of Cameroon who once never believed in seeking help from others had decided over time — much like elite athletes Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and retired swimmer Michael Phelps — to shake the once-taboo stigma of therapy and go all-in on the process to steer him through turbulent times in his professional career.

“It's kind of hard when you get in those moments where it's kind of hard not to feel bad about yourself, especially when you know who you are and what you can accomplish but it's not the way it is,” Embiid said. “One lesson that I learned is to try and stop feeling bad about myself and just live day-by-day. Enjoy good people around me, positivity and not focus on the negativity.”

Embiid has openly talked at times over the last year of feeling depressed from time on the shelf — he was sidelined for two full NBA seasons, and had chunks of so many others recovering, rehabbing, even resting — and this season was no different.

Embiid had his homegrown sidekick in All-Star Tyrese Maxey and nine-time All-Star Paul George along for the ride to form a kind of Big Three expected to challenge Boston, New York and Cleveland for Eastern Conference supremacy.

With all three walloped by injuries, they have played start-to-finish in all of two games this season.

Embiid slogged through headaches and dizziness to drop 34 points and led the 76ers past Charlotte on Friday night in a win that completed a 4-0 season sweep against the Hornets and propped the 76ers' record to a meager 9-16 overall.

“He does make the game so easy,” George said. “A lot of stuff was just plays we weren't in sync on. We'll get that as we're on the court more.”

The question again is raised around the NBA — what could the 76ers have accomplished had Embiid been healthy enough to always play 80 games a season?

As is the norm with Embiid, the two-time scoring champion will sit out the second game of a back-to-back Saturday at Cleveland.

“As long as it gets better every day,” Embiid said, “that'll be good.”

It's a modest goal as Embiid tries to make the days — using his word “manageable” — until perhaps it feels close to 100% in time for the playoffs.

His frankness in admitting he needed therapy belies a public persona of a 30-year-old who has delighted in playing the role of troll to needle rivals both in the locker room and on social media. Embiid — who signed a $193 million contract extension ahead of the season — has leaned on his wife and young son to push him through the hard days.

Embiid's a big brother to 20-somethings on the team like Maxey and rookie Jared McCain and he finally has a relatable peer this season in a fellow Olympic gold medalist George, who has had his own career interrupted by catastrophic injuries.

“You can never get enough of the support,” Embiid said. “If I'm being honest, when you've got the support from your family, people close to you, teammates, guys like (George), that's the reason why you want to keep doing it and you want to keep figuring it out. That's who you play for. The people who care about you, people that support you, people that push you. I have a hard time disappointing people, which I'm working on. When you've got that type of support, it's kind of hard to feel bad about yourself. I like to please people. You've just got to keep going.”

Keep going.

It's all Embiid can do now to find happiness on the court and in his personal life — and find some peace through treatment along the way.

He can at least improve his state of mind, even if the state of his body takes longer to heal.

“It's a work in progress. We'll see if it works," Embiid said. "You get to a point where nothing is working, I'm always willing to try anything and see if it works.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid left, tries to go up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets' Vasilije Micic during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid walks the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, left, goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets' Moussa Diabate during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid holds the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid reacts after being fouled during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)