The first eight weeks of the season felt like a picture-perfect start for the Los Angeles Rams, outside of a lopsided loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Sean McVay looked rejuvenated, running up and down the sideline, sharing smiles with his new quarterback in Matthew Stafford as the Rams earned themselves a 7-1 record.
Over the past two weeks, though, McVay’s smiles have been traded for displeased looks with Los Angeles dropping two consecutive games. Not only did the Rams lose two straight games, but they lost them in embarrassing fashion in primetime.
First, it was a 28-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football in Week 9 that raised the concern level of fans. Then, it was a 31-10 thrashing by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 10 that has the entire NFL community questioning the legitimacy of the Rams.
Some fans are hitting the panic button already, calling for McVay to make adjustments, Raheem Morris to be fired, and other requests that are natural in the realm of fandom whenever a team is struggling. However, I’m here to tell you that it is far from the time to panic for the Rams – at least not yet.
In the grand scheme of things, while a loss to the 49ers hurts the Rams’ chances of securing the NFC West, Los Angeles is still positioned well to make the playoffs. The Rams are just one game behind the Cardinals for first place in the NFC West (though, Arizona holds the tie-breaker currently) and they are only one game behind the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.
We all know that an invitation to the dance is all you need whenever it comes to the playoffs in any sport. Not one team in the NFL has looked consistently dominant, so to act like the sky is falling with the Rams is a bit premature right now.
The bye week came at a perfect time for the Rams, giving them a week to collect themselves for a strong push to finish the season. Coming out of the bye, we’ll get a good chance to see how the Rams are going to respond as they’ll travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers in Week 12.
Also, the Rams have a week to get Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. up to speed with everything after both of them had limited time to get adjusted to their new team. Due to injuries and other occurrences, both Miller and Beckham will play crucial roles for Los Angeles moving forward.
With the quarterback position being the most important on the field, having a grizzled veteran like Stafford should instill confidence in the Rams turning things around out of the bye week. The offensive line is performing well and Darrell Henderson Jr. has proven that he can handle a workhorse role, even if McVay strays away from the run at times.
On the defensive side of the ball, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey are having All-Pro years as other guys are stepping up. Leonard Floyd deserves to be a Pro Bowler, but the Rams should have their sights on having no one play in the Pro Bowl due to their ultimate goal of reaching the Super Bowl.
Let’s give it some time before we begin to question whether or not the Rams are legitimate contenders this season. Now, if Los Angeles comes out of the bye week and is flat against the Packers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cardinals, and the Seattle Seahawks in their next four games, then hitting the panic button is a justified response.