Can't blame Puka Nacua.

Can't blame Matthew Stafford. 

Both came to play in the Los Angeles Rams' 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Stafford threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Nacua racked up 181 yards – an NFL playoff record – and a touchdown of his own. 

What cost the Rams Sunday night was a failure to produce timely points in the red zone. 

Detroit, at times flashy and at times subtle, managed to go 3-for-3 when in scoring position. 

Los Angeles, on the other hand, was 0-for-3. Sean McVay's Stafford-led, Nacua-powered offense outgained Detroit 425 to 334 in yards. It won the time of possession battle – though barely. 

For any measurable attribute, the Rams' offense did enough to win the game, other than put up points when it was desperately needed. 

In the NFL playoffs, games are often decided by small moments. It can be a first-down here or a third-down play design there. The Rams, though they did everything else to win, fell victim to Detroit's bend but don't break defense in scoring position. 

First, the Rams let Detroit have the ball to start the game, and the offense quickly scored. The Lions are undefeated when they score on the opening drive. 

That was matched by a field goal by Los Angeles. The Rams were playing catch-up from that point on. 

Football is immensely complicated and, at times, painfully simple. The Rams lost the game for a myriad of reasons Sunday night. Chief among them was a failure to convert in the red zone each time Stafford led the offense down the field. 

It is a loss that strings. Moving forward, the Rams will have several questions to answer. But what will sit with McVay and his group for the foreseeable future is coming up small at exactly the wrong moment.