The Los Angeles Rams assembled one of the NFL’s deepest-looking skill groups around Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, but their season opener sent an early warning about what happens when Sean McVay turns to a third wide receiver.
Sports Illustrated‘s Blaine Grisak highlighted a striking personnel split from Los Angeles’ 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10.
According to Grisak, the Rams averaged 0.21 expected points added per play on 21 snaps from 13 personnel — one running back, three tight ends and one receiver. On 32 plays from 11 personnel, which puts three receivers on the field, they averaged minus-0.66 EPA per play.
“Arguably speaks to the lack of a threat at WR3,” Grisak wrote.
They averaged -0.66 EPA/play on 32 plays out of 11 personnel.
Arguably speaks to the lack of a threat at WR3.
One game is a small sample, and the Rams have utilized 13 personnel as a genuine part of their offense. Still, the gap was tough to miss on a night when the offense generated 290 total yards, went 2-for-9 on third down and scored once.
Rams’ WR3 Rotation Produced Almost Nothing in Week 1
Matthew Stafford completed 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Most of what Los Angeles generated through the air ran through Nacua and Adams.
Nacua caught five of nine targets for 74 yards. Adams finished with three catches for 26 yards on six targets. After them, the wide-receiver production disappeared quickly.
Jordan Whittington caught his only target for 8 yards. Rookie Konata Mumpfield was targeted once without a reception, while Xavier Smith didn’t record a target. Whittington, Mumpfield and Smith therefore combined for one catch and 8 receiving yards.
That is the clearest football argument behind Grisak’s observation. When the Rams used a third receiver, the defense did not have to account for another proven target alongside Nacua and Adams. When Los Angeles instead put three tight ends on the field, it could create heavier run looks while still forcing coverage decisions through the passing game.
The Rams also had two other receivers unavailable. Tutu Atwell and rookie CJ Daniels were both inactive for Week 1, via team’s official inactive list. Atwell had only recently returned to Los Angeles in a trade after spending the offseason with Miami.
McVay had expressed confidence in the depth before the opener, saying he had “a ton of trust” in Whittington and Mumpfield while also praising Smith’s camp and Daniels’ maturity. He said he had confidence in all seven receivers.
Week 1 didn’t provide the same reassurance.
McVay Has a Choice After 13-Personnel Success
The important context is that 13 personnel was already a key element of McVay’s offense before the 2026 opener.
The Rams used 13 personnel on 30.5% of their snaps in 2025, more than double the rate of the next-closest team and the highest mark of the Next Gen Stats era, per the Rams’ official website. That means Thursday’s success in heavier packages was not simply a reaction to problems at receiver.
The concern is what happened when Los Angeles moved away from it.
McVay wants an offense capable of shifting personnel groups without tipping its hand. If 11 personnel continues to produce such a severe efficiency drop, opponents can begin treating the third receiver as the weak link in the structure rather than a legitimate threat.
That makes the next few weeks vital for Whittington, Mumpfield, Smith and eventually Atwell or Daniels. The Rams don’t need a third receiver to match Nacua or Adams obviously, but they do need someone who can punish defenses for tilting coverage toward them and keep 11 personnel from becoming the package opponents want to see.
Against San Francisco, the early numbers suggested Los Angeles was far more dangerous when that third receiver was replaced by another tight end. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, that’s an offensive imbalance worth watching.
LA Rams’ Offensive Split Exposes Clear Problem After 49ers Loss