The Los Angeles Rams bounced back from their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia to win a routine Week 2 game 28-6 over the New York Giants. The Rams were preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl this season because of their talented roster, but expectations have been downshifted since their Week 1 loss.
Super Bowl champion Jeff Saturday pumped the brakes on the Rams’ hype machine that went into overdrive after the win against the Giants.
Super Bowl Champion Provides Los Angeles Rams’ 2026 Perspective
During Tuesday’s segment of the “First Take” show, Saturday had a balanced view of the Rams’ results and expected scale of improvement this season.
“I think it’s disrespectful to act like there’s a super team in the NFL,” Saturday said. “People talking about going undefeated, all these crazy things in preseason. They are still a very good football team. They are well coached and they’re gonna get better. By the way, their two best players didn’t play. Myles Garrett didn’t play and Puka Nacua didn’t play. Both of those guys are massive additions when they finally come back and get back to this.”
“I think it’s disrespectful to act like there’s a super team in the NFL. … They’re still a very good football team.”
@SaturdayJeff weighs in on the Rams’ MNF win over the Giants 🏈 https://t.co/mmf0f72iIE
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 22, 2026
Saturday provided proper perspective on coach Sean McVay’s team’s early-season performances, including against the Giants.
“I will say, they ran the ball well; both backs look good. Davante Adams had an absolutely insane week,” Saturday added. “So when I look at them defensively the way they play again against Jameis Winston, stacking the box, doing those things. They will continue to get better. I think people expect them to just go dogwalk, everybody.
“In the NFL, 28-6 is a big win. Don’t minimize it. There are still pro players on the other side. Could they have done better? Sure. But this is a very good Rams football team and I think they are ascending. And Week 1 was an anomaly. Maybe not beating the 49ers, but playing a much better game.”
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Several issues have plagued the NFC West giants and McVay took the blame for the team’s decision to arrive in Melbourne roughly 28 hours before kickoff against the 49ers, which ended in a 27-7 loss.
The team also placed the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, on injured reserve last week after the defensive end underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, robbing the defense of its powerhouse offseason addition.
The team is also dealing with the absence of leading wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is dealing with hip and groin soreness. Nacua’s absence is unrelated to the psoas injury that impacted him during training camp.
Despite key absences on both sides of the ball, Chris Shula’s unit has earned a PFN NFL Defense Impact score of 77. 9 (No. 10 in the league). Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase’s unit has earned a PFN NFL Offense Impact score of 73.8 (No. 17 in the league).
