KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On a day that started with Sean McVay being accidentally struck in the face by one of his own players, the hits continued Sunday for the injury-riddled Rams against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs.
With Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson sidelined, the Rams predictably fell to the Chiefs 26-10 at Arrowhead Stadium. But the short-handed Rams kept it close before backup quarterback Bryce Perkins threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
The Rams might have also been on the verge of losing their head coach after McVay took a shoulder to the face while Rams tight end Roger Carter ran onto the field for a punt return in the first quarter. The Rams fell to 3-8 on the season and extended their losing streak to five games.
Perkins received his first career start and had the daunting challenge of keeping pace with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes without the Rams’ top wideouts in Robinson and Kupp. The Rams’ defense, however, contained Mahomes and his high-octane offense for two-plus quarters before the Chiefs extended their lead 20-3 after a 12-play, 71-yard scoring drive with 6:32 in the third quarter. At that point, the Rams only had 73 total net yards.
Robinson was unavailable to help the offense because he was surprisingly ruled out when the team announced their list for inactive players. Robinson was a limited participant in practice this week because of an ankle injury, but McVay expressed optimism about him playing against the Chiefs.
Perkins, a 2020 undrafted free agent, had a few impressive scramble runs, but he struggled as a passer and was unable to take advantage of the defensive stops in the first half. Perkins finally got the offense going with a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown reception from Van Jefferson to trim the Chiefs’ lead to 20-10 with 14:56 left in the fourth quarter.
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The Rams’ only trailed 13-3 at halftime, but the offense entered the locker room with only 75 total net yards with 72 coming on the ground. Perkins went 2 of 5 for 16 yards in the first half, only 10 more yards than punter Riley Dixon, who had a six-yard completion on a fake punt during the second quarter.
The Rams’ defense forced the Chiefs to punt on their opening drive, which was followed by McVay taking an accidental hit from Carter’s shoulder. McVay, who was grabbing his jaw, was checked on the sideline by Rams head athletic trainer Reggie Scott.
The Chiefs scored their first points after Mahomes connected with star tight end Travis Kelce for a 39-yard catch-and-run touchdown to take a 7-0 advantage with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter.
More to come.