Reason for optimism: Sean McVay didn’t forget how to coach.

Injuries have decimated the Rams. In fact, “decimated” might be putting it too lightly. Injuries have ripped the heart out of McVay’s squad, Temple of Doom style. First, it was the O-line that saw a barrage of issues. Then Puka Nacua. Now Cooper Kupp. Whoever is stabbing the Rams’ Voodoo doll has gone overboard. 

Matthew Stafford struggled sans Kupp last season, generating a 77.6 passer rating without the wideout compared to a 101.2 mark with him on the field. Nacua’s injury hurts, but Kupp’s stings worse. At least with Kupp on the field, Stafford could manage the beaten-down offensive line by getting the ball out quickly to his security blanket. Last year, Stafford was pressured on 40.5 percent of his dropbacks without Kupp, compared to just 32.1 percent of dropbacks with the receiver.

That’s the negative. Now for the positive. 

McVay remains one of the best coaches in the NFL. Sure, he left his starters in too long in Sunday’s blowout loss at Arizona, but he didn’t forget how to X-and-O his way out of a box. Did you forget the Baker Mayfield game? Did everyone black out last year while he took a club supposedly in a rebuild to the postseason? 

The Rams still boast talent, and as long as Stafford remains upright, they have a quarterback who can make a patchwork line function until the WRs return. With a banged-up receiving corps, McVay’s run game — his bread and butter — becomes the default center of operations. Pro Bowl RB Kyren Williams should see an uptick in work, while rookie Blake Corum could finally get meaningful snaps. Can they get enough blocks to keep Los Angeles ahead of the chains moving forward? 

The road ahead is fraught with challenging games, starting with Sunday’s bout against San Francisco — another club dealing with a trove of injuries. If McVay keeps the Rams’ season alive through this injury-riddled stretch, it’ll add another feather to his coaching cap.