The Los Angeles Rams will have the added benefit of coming off a bye in Week 7 when they host the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, giving them an extra week to recover from injuries and prepare for Antonio Pierce’s squad. It’s a crucial game for the Rams to win and given the opponent, it’s one they’re fully expected to win, too.
During the course of his career, Sean McVay has had success in games immediately following a bye. According to Stathead, the Rams are 4-3 after their bye since 2017, though their record is just 1-2 in the last three years.
- 2023 vs. Seahawks: W, 17-16
- 2022 vs. 49ers: L, 31-14
- 2021 at Packers: L, 36-28
- 2020 vs. Seahawks: W, 23-16
- 2019 at Steelers: L, 17-12
- 2018 at Lions: W, 30-16
- 2017 at Giants: W, 51-17
In three games after a bye with Matthew Stafford at quarterback, the Rams are just 1-2 and have been outscored by 24 points. Stafford has five touchdowns and two interceptions in those games, throwing for fewer than 200 yards twice.
Only three of the Rams’ post-bye games under McVay have come at home and they’ve won two of those contests. They’ll be at home against the Raiders on Sunday so hopefully that’ll help their chances of winning, too.
This is the earliest the Rams have had a bye week since 2017. Previously, their earliest bye was 2022 in Week 8 and 2017 in Week 9. As evidenced by the final scores above, the defense has typically played well after a bye. The Rams have had more games (two) allowing fewer than 300 yards than they have allowing more than 400 yards (zero) since 2017. Offensively, the Rams have averaged 336.5 yards per game after a bye under McVay.
The Raiders are a team in flux after benching QB Gardner Minshew and trading away Davante Adams, so this is a golden opportunity for the Rams to turn their season around and get a much-needed win.