Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Darious Williams and Austin Corbett were two of the Rams’ most improved players of the 2020 season.
The Los Angeles Rams may have only won one more game in 2020 than they did the year prior, but the team as a whole improved noticeably – particularly on defense, where they ranked No. 1 in the NFL.
That was the result of several players stepping up and performing better than they did in 2019. The Rams got better at several important positions, including along the offensive line and in the secondary.
Here are the team’s six most improved players of 2020, led by Darious Williams at cornerback.
The Rams get bounced in the wild-card round in this simulation by ESPN.
There are a number of methods for predicting what’s going to happen this season, but no one truly knows how the next 17 weeks are going to play out. ESPN runs 20,000 simulations each year to project what will happen in the regular season and playoffs, doing so once again this year.
However, this time around, ESPN looked at one specific simulation as the most likely outcome for the 2020 season. By using simulation No. 3,869 and adding in Mike Clay’s statistical projections, here’s what ESPN came up with for the Rams.
It has Sean McVay’s team going 11-5 and finishing second in the NFC West, sneaking in as a wild-card team. The 49ers win the division in this simulation, also at 11-5, but they win the tiebreaker with Los Angeles despite splitting the season series 1-1. This simulation has the Seahawks going 9-7 and the Cardinals 8-8, making the NFC West the only division with all four teams at .500 or better.
In the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Saints knock off the Rams with a 23-10 win, bouncing the Rams from the postseason. The 49ers are eliminated by the Cowboys in the divisional round with a 39-26 loss, with Dallas moving on to face the Buccaneers in the NFC title game. On the AFC side, it’s unsurprisingly the Ravens and Chiefs in the conference championship, with Kansas City once again advancing to and winning the Super Bowl over the Cowboys.
ESPN’s simulation has Tom Brady leading the NFL in passing with 4,615 yards, Derrick Henry once again taking the rushing crown with 1,316 yards and Michael Thomas pacing the league with 1,373 yards receiving.
Nate Davis isn’t high on the Rams, projecting them to go 6-10.
The Rams are no longer the kings of the NFC West as they were for two seasons from 2017-2018, finishing third in the division last season. Could they slide even further in 2020 and end up in the basement of the NFL’s best division?
Nate Davis of USA TODAY released his annual record predictions for the upcoming season and that’s exactly where he has the Rams finishing. Davis projects the Rams to go 6-10, behind the 7-9 Cardinals, 9-7 Seahawks and 12-4 49ers.
The 49ers and Seahawks make the playoffs in this scenario, but neither reaches the Super Bowl; Davis projects a Saints-Ravens matchup with New Orleans winning it all.
Here’s what Davis wrote about the Rams, noting Jared Goff’s play behind a shaky offensive line, a rookie defensive coordinator and early kickoffs in the first half of the season.
Los Angeles Rams (6-10): They’re not two years removed from that Super Bowl LIII run even if it feels long ago. Not going to be easy for QB Jared Goff to reclaim his Pro Bowl form behind these blockers and inexperienced backs. Meanwhile, the defense is breaking in rookie coordinator Brandon Staley. Oh, and the Rams will also be dealing with four 1 p.m. ET kickoffs in the first eight weeks.
With NFL training camps getting started, it's time to roll out record projections 2.0, courtesy of @ByNateDavis. https://t.co/gHnqYuYVIy pic.twitter.com/XlG7UJPOx9
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 19, 2020
A 6-10 record isn’t out of the question for Los Angeles, especially given the competitiveness of the NFC West and how difficult the Rams’ schedule is. They have to face the likes of the Cowboys, Eagles, Bills and Buccaneers outside the division, none of which are easy wins.
They do have favorable matchups with the Jets, Dolphins, Giants and Washington, but the Rams can’t sleep walk through those games, either.
When we predicted each game on their schedule, we had the Rams going 10-6, which is a stark contrast from Davis’ projection. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding this team and coaching staff, but the talent is there for Los Angeles to make a playoff run. It just needs to be more consistent offensively and improve on defense.
If 6-10 is the Rams’ floor, what is their ceiling?
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.
The Rams fully expect to play a full season in 2020, but they announced a contingency plan just in case.
The coronavirus outbreak has put sports on hold, halting the seasons of the NBA, NHL and MLB, among every other professional and league. The NFL isn’t in season right now, but it will be in less than six short months.
There’s so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that it remains to be seen if the 2020 NFL season will be impacted. For now, the league is pushing forward with the draft in April, but OTAs have been canceled and later offseason activities could also be impacted.
The Rams are preparing for the worst, announcing their refund policy in the event that games are canceled next season.
Some of you may have concerns and we want to be clear about our policies regarding season tickets purchased directly from the Rams. If a game is canceled and cannot be rescheduled, or is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending (for example, if a public authority restricts gatherings to no more than a small number of people), and you are a Rams Season Ticket Member, you will receive a pro-rata refund of your season ticket purchase price for any impacted games, or the option to credit that amount toward future playoff or regular season full season tickets for the 2021 season. For example, if two games were not played during the 2020 season, you would receive a refund or credit for the face value of your tickets for the two games lost.
In the same letter to season-ticket holders, the Rams also said they plan to play a full season in 2020.
“As our season does not begin until August, we have every expectation of playing a full schedule in 2020 and look forward to you joining us at SoFi Stadium for an exciting inaugural season.”
Additionally, the Rams are extending the deadline for fans to pay for their season tickets until June 1 due to the financial impact of the coronavirus. A payment plan is also available, allowing fans to spread their payments from May 1 to October 1 instead of having a payment due on April 1.
This is a similar approach being taken by many NFL teams, allowing fans to make their season-ticket payments later in the year to avoid adding more financial strain during this difficult and uncertain time.
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The Rams have the talent to be a Super Bowl team, but they must put it all together.
After reaching Super Bowl LIII last February, the Los Angeles Rams regressed and became just an average team in 2019. The offense wasn’t close to what it was in 2018, while the defense found absolutely no consistency.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for the Rams, though. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the 2020 season, even after they went just 9-7 this past year.
The Rams have the potential to be a Super Bowl contender next season if their top players perform up to expectations, and if the front office is able to replace potential departures in free agency.
Here are five reasons for hope for the Rams in 2020.
There were a number of factors that led to Goff’s disappointing 2019 season. His offensive line was constantly undergoing changes due to injury and it struggled all year long. The Rams’ running game was almost non-existent, partly due to Todd Gurley’s reduced workload and his ineffectiveness in most games.
Goff, himself, deserves plenty of blame for the way he played, too, but he’s also shown he can be a top quarterback before. In 2018, he was an MVP candidate until the Rams’ Week 12 bye, after which he regressed. In the first 11 games of that season, he threw 26 touchdown passes and six interceptions with a passer rating of 113.5.
If he returns to that level of play in 2020, the Rams will look more like the team that made it to the Super Bowl than the one that missed the playoffs. A lot of their success hinges on Goff, and while his 2019 campaign was concerning, his 2018 season is reason for hope.
