Heading into last season, and even the 2018 campaign, it was hard to imagine the Rams finishing well below .500. They had Super Bowl aspirations both years, and while they nearly capitalized on that belief in 2018, they fell way short of expectations last season with a 9-7 record.
Heading into the upcoming season, there isn’t nearly as much hype surrounding the Rams – not like last year after their Super Bowl appearance. They currently have just the 16th-best odds to win it all this season, tied with the Cardinals, Browns and Titans.
Given the losses they suffered this offseason and their daunting schedule in the NFC West, it’s easy to imagine the Rams finishing right at or below .500. However, they still have a promising quarterback in Jared Goff, one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league (Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods), two of the most dominant defensive players in football (Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey) and a head coach who reached the Super Bowl in just his second season.
For that reason, the Rams could conceivably win the division and make a deep playoff run if the pieces come together just right. Pro Football Focus sees both sides as being possible, laying out the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Rams in 2020.
Using simulations of the upcoming season, PFF predicted the 10th-percentile and 90th-percentile outcomes for each team. The Rams’ worst-case scenario is a 6-10 finish, with PFF citing persistent issues on the offensive line and an unproven linebacker group getting “tested early and often.”
As for the Rams’ best-case scenario, it’s an encouraging 11-5 record. Here’s PFF’s explanation for that possible outcome.
How they get there: The offensive line getting healthy and improvements from guys such as Rob Havenstein creates a more stable offensive environment for Goff. As we saw in 2018, particularly early that year, Goff can look like one of the better quarterbacks in the league when he has clean pockets to work from.
Even with the loss of Brandin Cooks, there are still guys he can get the ball to. Robert Woods is one of the more underappreciated wide receivers in the NFL, and Cooper Kupp has been one of the league’s most effective slot receivers over the past several years. That step forward on offense, along with a defense that’s highlighted by the star power of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, is enough to get the Rams back to the playoffs.
It’s a testament to how far the Rams have come that a 9-7 record last season was considered a huge disappointment, whereas that would’ve been a colossal success during Jeff Fisher and Steve Spagnuolo’s tenures. Not to mention, they were inches from a win over the Seahawks last season as Greg Zuerlein’s game-winning field goal try sailed just wide of the upright.
If they can stay healthy and the offensive line improves even marginally, we should see a better Rams team in 2020. They did suffer some key losses on offense and defense, but their additions in the draft will help offset them. Don’t be surprised to see the Rams once again in contention this season.