The Los Angeles Rams pushed a lot of chips to the middle of the table over the offseason. Then, when they came out of the gates slow, other teams saw an opportunity.

Last week, the Seattle Seahawks made a big move for guard Quenton Nelson and the San Francisco 49ers got a big acquisition in defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. The NFC West got a lot harder.

The Chicago Bears, clearly believing the NFC is up for grabs, traded a couple first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. His stellar play on Monday night in his Bears debut has lifted Chicago's ceiling for this season. Other top NFC teams will inevitably add to their rosters.

The Rams need to look to see if they have any more chips remaining to up their bet.

Head coach Sean McVay says the Rams aren't likely to be buyers. He says the team is content to have key players who have been on injured reserve, like defensive end Myles Garrett and wideout Davante Adams, provide the boost that a trade deadline acquisition normally would.

"The amount of guys that have not been available, that are key and focal points for really both sides of the football, you look at those guys hopefully being able to return within a month," McVay said, according to the Los Angeles Times, "and that's kind of where that value lies for us."'

Given the Rams' history, and how aggressive they were in the offseason leading up to this season, that's difficult to believe.

The Rams are already committed. They made huge trades for cornerback Trent McDuffie and Garrett, and also added a big signing with cornerback Jaylen Watson. They have already traded draft picks in the first, fifth and sixth rounds this year, in the first and third in 2027, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. There's no turning back now. And they're looking to make big deals at anytime, even in years they weren't big preseason Super Bowl favorites.

The Rams' 2-4 start was stunning. Garrett underwent knee surgery and there have been few updates on a timetable for his return. Then they suffered an injury to a position that was already perilously thin, when Adams injured his hamstring. He's out for six to 10 weeks, and there's no guarantee a player who turns 34 years old in December rebounds from an injury like that. The Rams can mask the injury with a lot of three tight end sets and running the ball more, but they won't be the same explosive offense from a season ago. The need at receiver beyond Puka Nacua is glaring.

The Rams are 4-4 after a couple straight wins, which keeps them in the NFC race, but their .500 record and the activity around the NFC West is a reminder that there's still a gap they need to close. Perhaps that occurs through the star players that will return from injury, though that's tough to depend on. Or maybe the Rams decide that now isn't the time to stop trading.

What should the Ravens do now?

The most likely answer for what happens next for the Baltimore Ravens is that they fade completely out of the playoff race and into a tense offseason with Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have been a bad team without Lamar Jackson, who is going on injured reserve with a thumb injury, and it is very likely that they'll be without Tyler Huntley for at least Week 9. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who is dealing with an ankle injury of his own, isn't keeping the team afloat, nor is newly signed QB Austin Reed.

The other truth is that it's practically impossible to pick up a quarterback who can save your season in November. Good starters are never available. Good backups are rarely available and you'll have to overpay for one. Bad starters and bad backups aren't fixing anything. The rare third option who can start, like Jacoby Brissett, might help for a little bit but we all know the outcome there. Over the past two seasons, before Sunday, Arizona was 3-16 in Brissett's starts.

When you lose a future Hall of Fame quarterback, there's no way to fix it.

Are Cowboys trade deadline sellers now?

If it wasn't for the Super Bowl bluster before the season, and the promises from owner Jerry Jones to make huge trades to chase a title, the obvious path for the 3-5 Cowboys might be to sell before the trade deadline. Nobody should think that Jones is going to do that.

The Cowboys were embarrassed yet again Sunday, blowing a 14-point lead and losing to the Cardinals. Even if people believe they can still win the NFC East, there are no signs they are good enough to be any factor in the playoffs. They haven't beaten a team all season that has more than two wins. The defense is impossibly bad. The offense hasn't been great either.

The Cowboys have no logical reason to believe that things will get much better. There's nobody available in the trade market who will fix everything, and giving up more future picks seems unwise for a bad team. But good luck convincing Jones of that.

Justin Jefferson isn't happy

Jefferson left after the Vikings' loss to the Lions Sunday without speaking to the media. There was a message within that, even if Kevin O'Connell tried to smooth it over by saying Jefferson was a competitor and he wanted to win. That's probably part of the story.

Kyler Murray missed Jefferson on multiple throws. It has to feel like a repeat of last season, when Jefferson didn't have a quarterback who could get him the ball. Even though Murray has been an inconsistent player most of his career, the Vikings tabbed him to fix their quarterback issues. Now they have an offense that's struggling. The defense has carried the team to a 6-1 record. But it will be hard to maintain anywhere near that pace if the offense doesn't improve. It's not like the Vikings can change course at quarterback before the deadline (unless they completely overpay for Kirk Cousins, who the Raiders might not trade anyway and wouldn't be smart regardless). It's just a team that has to win despite its imperfections.

This might get really bad for the Colts

When you start trading your best players, it's hard for the remaining players to stay motivated during a lost season. The Indianapolis Colts saw that up close on Sunday.

The Colts were putrid in a 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Had Jaguars coach Liam Coen held some grudge against Indianapolis, it seemed Jacksonville could have won by 60. There was no fight or pride in the Colts, especially without guard Quenton Nelson and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner.

It won't get better. More trades are probably coming. Running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive tackle Grover Stewart and receiver Josh Downs could all be dealt. The only question left for coach Shane Steichen is if it gets so bad that the Colts have to fire him during the season rather than wait until it's done.