THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Sean McVay has never been through a season like this as the coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

Sure, there have been “a bunch of different adverse moments,” he said, but “there’s no question” this is the most adversity he’s faced since taking over in 2017.

The Rams have dealt with so many injuries to their offensive line that they’ve played eight different line combinations in eight games. They were without running back Cam Akers -- a 2020 second-round pick -- for two games as the team tried to trade him. Los Angeles dealt with injuries in the secondary and was without wide receiver Van Jefferson for six weeks after he needed knee surgery during training camp.

And now, starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is in concussion protocol and could miss a crucial divisional game Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) against the Arizona Cardinals (3-6) as the Rams try to recover from a 3-5 record midway through the season.

On the field -- perhaps as a result of the injuries -- the offense hasn’t performed. The 16.4 points per game the Rams are averaging this season is by far the worst under McVay and tied for the second-worst through eight games by a defending Super Bowl champion. The next-closest mark was more than a touchdown worse: 24.1 points per game during the 2020 season. The Rams’ 286 yards per game is also the lowest under McVay and 119.9 yards less per game than where L.A. was at this point a year ago, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

When reminded that the Rams are two games under .500 for the first time with him as coach, McVay quipped, “I didn’t know that.” He’s well aware of the situation his team is in but is facing the issues head-on.

“Really you don't want to have to go through this, but you guys have heard me say it,” McVay said. “Man has this stretched you in ways that you're going to be better for it if you handle it the right way. You don't want to have to go through some of these types of things, but when you do, this is what you sign up for, and you’ve got to be able to do the things.

“It's so easy to get up there and preach about the mental toughness, the resilience, staying in the moment, not letting the outside-in narrative affect your ability to be able to move forward. It's really easy to do that when things are going good, but when you're actually tested, man is that an opportunity to find out how you really handle it.”

As the Rams have gone through this tough stretch, veteran cornerback Troy Hill said he’s seen how McVay has focused on keeping the team connected and together.

McVay said that focus has been because he wants to make sure there aren’t divides on the team, especially after a game in which the defense played well and the offense struggled.

“That's where a lot of those divides can somewhat occur,” McVay said. “You want to be cognizant of that, you want to be honest and you want to make sure that guys understand how vital this is for us to continue to try to get out of this little rut and try to trend in the right direction as this season progresses with the nine games that were guaranteed left.”

And through all of that, McVay’s players can see that belief their coach has in them, despite the struggles.

“Obviously, he speaks his mind like everybody else, but I think at the end of the day, the biggest thing is he still provides that confidence for the guys in the building and still provides that belief,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “I'm confident that we’ll figure this out.”

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said all of the success the Rams have had since McVay was hired has him “extremely spoiled.”

Morris referenced last November, when the Rams went 0-3 after a 7-1 start, but said unlike that, the ups and downs of this season have been real adversity “when you’re behind the chains, behind the sticks so to speak when it comes to win-loss record.”

How rare is this lack of success? The Rams are the eighth defending Super Bowl champion to be under .500 through eight games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

None of the previous seven made the playoffs. But although Morris said this is “the most adversity” that McVay has faced, he also pointed out that it’s “a great opportunity” to show his strengths as a coach.

“It's tough when you go through it for the first time, particularly being in the leadership role,” Morris said. “ … He's had a bunch of high seasons, and now we're going through something that's ... low."

And although he admitted just how this season has stretched him as a coach, McVay said he’s choosing to look at what he can gain from this season, as well.

“These opportunities and this adversity [do] provide an opportunity to learn about people and to really be challenged in ways that you wouldn't be stretched otherwise,” McVay said. “So I'm choosing to take the mindset and the mentality that we're going to keep swinging.

“We're not going to be afraid to look at the things that we need to adjust, but we're also going to compete to the best of our ability so that when you look at yourself, whether it's our players, coaches, you look yourself in the mirror and you say, ‘Hey, did I do everything in my power to try to help get us out of this and do I have the mental stamina and endurance to continue to swing even if I don't get the result?’ If you can say yes to that, there's going to be great growth that occurs that we're going to be better for.”