Rams OC Mike LaFleur focused on resolving red zone woes, not facing brother on opposite sideline

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Outside of a chance to bring the whole family together, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur isn't flustered knowing his brother, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, will be on the opposing sideline Sunday.

Mike LaFleur's bigger concern this week is trying to get the Rams' floundering red zone offense on track after struggles inside the 20-yard line again proved costly in a 24-18 loss at Chicago.

“We’re all in this thing together,” LaFleur said Thursday. “There’s no panic from it. It’s been a small sample size.”

Scoring touchdowns in the red zone has been one of the glaring weaknesses amid the Rams' 1-3 start. They are operating at a 41.2% clip, having produced seven touchdowns on 17 chances.

The optimist in LaFleur points to the number of trips inside the 20, which is tied with Washington and Philadelphia for second in the NFL and only trails Detroit (18). But the realist recognizes the points left on the table were the difference in defeats to the Lions and Bears.

“Of course, in this league when you kick field goals like we have, you get the results that we got on Sunday,” LaFleur said. “We have to be better down there, and we will be.”

There is no one obvious cause for the Rams' issues, which makes it all the more frustrating on the heels of a 1 for 4 showing against Chicago. One trip was undone by a play call that put tight end Colby Parkinson too close to the sideline and allowed the defender to force him out of bounds. An offensive pass interference penalty did in another. The third was scuttled when receivers couldn't get separation on first-and-goal, putting the offense off schedule and unable to recover.

“There’s less grass to defend technically for a defense so if you want to get granular with it, I feel like windows become smaller," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "There are definitely some things that make it a little bit tougher, but if you execute well down there you can usually find your way into it. We just haven’t done a good enough job of that the last couple of weeks.”

The injury absences of receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua seems to be magnified in the red zone. Kupp, who will miss his third straight game because of an ankle injury, and Nacua, who is on injured reserve after aggravating a training camp knee injury in the season opener at Detroit, are both creative and physical route runners who thrive in short and intermediate spaces.

There are also the Rams' offensive line ailments, with starters Steve Avila (knee) and Jonah Jackson (shoulder) both out of the lineup.

Those situations shrink the already thin margin for error inside the 20.

“When you get down there, your execution, everything has to be tighter,” LaFleur said.

That was clear on their lone touchdown drive, which saw the offense string together multiple authoritative runs by Kyren Williams leading to him a 3-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to get Los Angeles within two points.

Under normal circumstances, LaFleur might reach out to his brother, whose Packers are 2-2, for suggestions on how to get things on track. Not this week, however.

“I guess we say a little less to each other on Monday and Tuesday in terms of schematics and all that stuff, but still talked to him yesterday,” LaFleur said.

That change in routine is becoming just that — routine. This is the fifth time the LaFleurs have faced off since Matt became the Green Bay head coach ahead of the 2019 season. They split two games in 2019-2020 when Mike was an assistant with San Francisco. Mike was victorious as the New York Jets' offensive coordinator in 2022, but dropped last year's matchup in his first season with Los Angeles.

“It seems like we play every year right now," Mike LaFleur said. "The only thing I look forward to, outside of the challenge that we have on Sunday, is getting to see my nephew that gets to come into town. That’s about it.”

But that didn't stop LaFleur from getting in one little dig.

“My mom likes me more, so she’s cheering for me," he joked.

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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press