LOS ANGELES -- As the Los Angeles Rams prepared to play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, they worked to figure out what went wrong for their field goal unit.
In that game, the Rams lost for the first time this season, falling to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles after two blocked kicks in their final two possessions were the difference in the game.
In the victory over the Colts the next week, Rams kicker Joshua Karty made all five kicks he attempted (two field goals and three extra points) and the Rams looked like they "had a good handle on it," coach Sean McVay said.
"Clearly I was not right in that," McVay said less than a week later, after the Rams had two kicks blocked in their 26-23 Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.
This season, Karty has missed five kicks. According to ESPN Research, that is tied for most in the NFL. Four of the kicks by Karty have been blocked, the most for any kicker. While the Ravens have not blocked a field goal or extra point this season, Baltimore blocked a Cleveland Browns punt in Week 2.
Now, as the Rams prepare to play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, McVay said the Rams "have to fix" the issues in that phase of the game.
"We have to go back to work," McVay said. "We have to get the right techniques, and we have to get the right people on there because that has been a killer for us and it's cost us two games."
Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn said after the Eagles game, the Rams focused on "keeping our pad level down, making sure that we're staying connected in our protection [and] forcing the ball to get higher, quicker."
Until the Rams figure out how to "get that fixed," McVay said, opposing teams will put even more pressure on that unit.
"If I was on the opposing team, I would be attacking that phase of our kicking game," McVay said. "That's what's been reflected. If you don't get things fixed in this league, the bleeding won't stop. But we expect to stop that bleeding."
The Rams have had two extra points blocked this season, which is as many as the rest of the league combined, according to ESPN Research. Although still a small sample size, the Rams are 9-12 (75%) on field goal attempts this season, which is tied for the second-worst field goal percentage in the NFL season.
Karty, now in his second NFL season, called this season "a little bit of a rollercoaster," saying, he's "just trying to have some thick skin and keep on kicking." McVay has been clear throughout the issues in the kicking game this season that there isn't just one person responsible for the missed kicks.
"Oh man, I wish it was just one thing," McVay said. "When you watch the protection ... we have to fix it. It's not one thing in particular. There are different locations, spots and people that have not executed the way that we're capable of. We've got to consistently use better techniques."
And while the Rams have struggled more than most with the kicking game, they are not the only team to have issues with blocked kicks. According to ESPN Research, there have been 18 blocked kicks this season, the most through Week 5 since 2014.
McVay said he thinks that once teams have started "to see some successful outcomes, then people try to be able to replicate it."
"There's been a couple different issues or reasons for it, but I think these rush units are doing an excellent job of being able to identify where are some of those holes and weaknesses," McVay said. "I think that's such a big picture thing that you've seen more of it. I think you're seeing teams rush a little bit harder and like you've seen, when you see that that can be something that you can attack it feels like, all right, hey, here we go."
Last season, Karty struggled at times, but finished the season strong, including making all nine of his kicks during the playoffs (four field goals and five extra points). McVay said, "When you've gone through experiences where you've come out on the right end and you've really grown through some of the challenging moments, I think that can be used as a confidence."
"Just looking down and we're not even one-third of the way through the season, so there's still so much football to play, so many kicks left, so many opportunities left that it's a long season," Karty said. "That's what I learned last year. You're not defined by one game whether it's good or bad, so just keep on just focusing on the next game and what you're trying to do there."