Davante Adams Is Out 6-10 Weeks. The Rams' Season Might Be Too.

The Rams spent the offseason building a roster that looked like the best in the NFC on paper. Aaron Donald came out of retirement. Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie arrived via trade. Sean McVay had a "dream team" and a schedule to match it.

Seven weeks in, they're 3-4, third in the NFC West, and the paper is shredding.

The defining story of this week isn't the 35-21 win in Las Vegas that snapped a two-game skid. It's the injury report that preceded it and the one that followed. Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring on the final drive of the Week 6 loss to Arizona and landed on injured reserve with a 6-to-10-week timeline. He leads the Rams with 480 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 30 catches — 16.0 yards per grab — and he was the one perimeter threat defenses had to account for on every snap.

He isn't alone. Defensive tackle Poona Ford is done for the season with a triceps injury. Kobie Turner is working through a groin strain. Linebacker Nate Landman is in the concussion protocol and did not practice. Puka Nacua, already managing a calf, was a non-participant and is listed questionable for Sunday's crosstown meeting with the Chargers, as is cornerback Trent McDuffie (groin).

That's four starters from a team that could least afford them, and it explains why the Week 7 win felt less like a corner turned and more like a stay of execution. The Rams put up 28 first-half points against Las Vegas and would have cleared 200 rushing yards if not for end-of-game kneel-downs. Kyren Williams ran for 99. Matthew Stafford went 23-of-29 for 195 yards and three touchdowns, giving him eight scoring throws in his last three games. On the season he's at 67.3 percent, 1,989 yards, 14 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 94.2 rating.

The offense works. It just now has to work without its leading receiver.

The quiet counterweight

If there's a reason for genuine optimism rather than just relief, it's the shape of the schedule. The Chargers arrive at SoFi Stadium Sunday at 0-6, averaging 15.0 points and 309.2 yards per game. Justin Herbert is completing 59.4 percent with five touchdowns against eight interceptions and a 68.8 rating — a line that would have been unthinkable two seasons ago. The line has surrendered 3.5 sacks per game, and Los Angeles turns it over twice a game.

The Rams' defense, at 22.7 points and 308.7 yards allowed, is not elite, but it doesn't have to be against this opponent. And help may be on the way: reports suggest Myles Garrett, sidelined since Week 1 with a knee injury, is likely to return to practice, though McVay declined this week to commit to a timeline. Garrett has yet to record a sack this season. Even a partial return changes a pass rush currently generating 1.4 sacks per game.

What it all hinges on

Two things decide whether this becomes a rebound or a lost year.

First, the tight end room. With Adams out, Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen become the middle-of-the-field answer. Allen caught four passes and the game's first two touchdowns against the Raiders — a red-zone wrinkle Arizona and Buffalo never had to defend.

Second, special teams. The Rams rank last in the league in EPA per play on that unit. Harrison Mevis went 0-for-2 with a potential game-winner blocked in overtime against Buffalo and was replaced by Blake Grupe. Changing kickers, as the local coverage has noted, doesn't fix a coverage unit that has been bad across the board.

The market has taken notice: the Rams opened as 7.5-point favorites and the number has settled at 6.5, with the total sliding from 45.5 to 44.5. That's a full point through the key number of seven — the kind of move that reflects an injury report, not a performance.

For a team built to win now, with Donald on a one-year deal and Garrett's future uncertain, the margin is thinner than the roster sheet suggested in August. Sunday won't define the season. But the Rams have already used up most of their runway.