The Rams have 12 regular season games to go following their Week 6 bye.
As they begin preparation for Week 7 against the Raiders and the remainder of the regular season, theRams.com identifies five storylines for fans to watch.
1) Will Cooper Kupp return in Week 7? And other possible reinforcements
Rams head coach Sean McVay during his pre-bye week video conference with reporters said Week 7 was the "ideal target date" for Kupp's return from his ankle injury, but cautioned that was based on a few weeks ago. He also said that date is not guaranteed to be when Kupp returns.
On Monday, McVay said a workout that day will determine whether Kupp can practice this week and ultimately play this Sunday against the Raiders. Kupp has not played since sustaining a sprained ankle in Week 2 against the Cardinals.
McVay also said offensive lineman Joe Noteboom (ankle) will go through a big workout on Monday that will determine whether the team opens his 21-day practice window this week. Noteboom has not played since sustaining a high ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Lions and consequently being placed on Injured Reserve.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) and offensive lineman Steve Avila (knee) are "still a little bit of ways away" from returning, per McVay, and are not expected to return to practice this week.
2) Kyren Williams' rushing touchdown streak
Williams can extend his streak to nine-straight games with a rushing touchdown. Currently at 8, it's the second-longest streak in franchise history behind Greg Bell's 10 from 1988-89.
3) Additional personnel changes
McVay after the Packers game said the team would "evaluate everything" when it comes to other position groups he would take a deep look at. The Rams already shook things up in the secondary by making cornerback Tre'Davious White inactive, having Darious Williams back and Ahkello Witherspoon more involved.
McVay on Monday said he expects to stick with those changes made in the secondary, though he noted some of it had to do with how they approached preparing for the Packers; likewise this week based on preparation for the Raiders. Still, "in terms of getting Darious (Williams) back, having some of those things with Decobie Durant at the outside corner, those guys, they did a nice job, we'll move forward with that."
In terms of other personnel changes, McVay said there will be "some different things that we'll look at."
"I do think where it's available, competition brings out the best in guys," McVay said. "Might be some different things you see offensively that we'll explore to see guys compete, and then defensively it's the same sort of thing, or looking at ways to get guys involved. Those are definitely things that you'll see."
4) The race for the NFC West
The division is by no means settled entering Week 7, with the standings looking like this:
- 49ers 3-3, 1-2 division (head-to-head tiebreaker over Seahawks via Week 6 Thursday Night Football win)
- Seahawks 3-3, 0-1
- Cardinals 2-4, 2-0
- Rams 1-4, 1-1
Los Angeles obviously has ground to make up with its current place. But, San Francisco's Week 6 win at Seattle, not to mention Arizona's Week 5 win at San Francisco, has shown anything can happen in the NFC West.
5) Home sweet home
A busy month of travel saw the Rams play three road games in the first four weeks of the season. Including the bye, the Rams will be home the entirety of October, with back-to-back home games against the Raiders and Vikings (Thursday Night Football).
Tying this into the fourth storyline, it makes for a nice opportunity to regain some ground in the division standings and also get the season back on track.
