A Second Kicker in Five Days, and the Rams Still Don't Have an Answer

Blake Grupe is active on the current roster, which makes him the answer to the kicker question for now. What that answer looks like against Buffalo is a different matter. I flagged the special-teams fragility five days ago when the position first became unsettled, and nothing that's happened since has made the picture cleaner.

The broader problem is structural. The Rams' close-game record last season — four wins in nine games decided by a possession — was already a flashing light about their ability to execute when the margin is thin. Kicking is the most naked expression of that margin. A missed field goal or a botched extra point in a one-score game against a team like Buffalo doesn't show up in Stafford's stat line; it just shows up in the loss column.

Grupe is listed active, so the Rams go with what they have. My read is that the position needs a longer-term resolution than what two roster moves in a week provides, but that's a conversation for after the game. Right now the conversation is whether the unit can hold together for sixty minutes against a team that will make them pay for every lapse.