Rams, Chargers seek a turnaround

Both local teams hit the road, looking to get right against struggling opponents

- BY SAM FARMER

A few weeks ago, the Rams and Chargers got off to matching 2-0 starts for the first time since 2001, triumphant launches that even prompted some wistful and way-too-premature ponderings of an All-Los Angeles Super Bowl.

Now, like two bottle rockets veering wildly off course, the NFL franchises cross paths again and face similar predicaments.

Both are 3-2, coming off soul-stomping losses at SoFi Stadium, and are looking to right themselves with East Coast games against 1-4 teams in downward slides.

The Chargers play at the Miami Dolphins, who just lost to the Carolina Panthers and out-of-nowhere running back Rico Dowdle. He ran for 206 yards and was used so heavily that in the fourth quarter he had to leave the game temporarily because of cramping in both legs. He drank four jars of pickle juice before reentering, a hiatus that probably cost him the club’s single-game rushing record.

The Rams play at the Baltimore Ravens, coming off a 44-10 collapse to Houston. In a cruel twist, the Ravens are horrible on defense, typically Baltimore's strong suit, and not just because they had to replace five injured defensive starters with rookies last week. They were bad before that. And quarterback Lamar Jackson is injured, too, so journeyman backup Cooper Rush is starting in his place.