We learned that the struggle is real. This week’s home loss to a battered Philadelphia Eagles team marked the first time Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay has lost consecutive games since becoming a head coach. But these losses don’t exist in a vacuum, sandwiched between complete game triumphs, they followed a series of nail biters: a one score lead in the fourth quarter at Detroit, a three point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, a five point victory over the Seattle Seahawks, a loss at New Orleans, a two point victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Really, the Rams have only been able to cruise in three of their fourteen games this season.
Of course, the league is designed to be competitive and victories are victories; but with that many close results it just goes to show how critical playing a clean game is, your almost always a bad turnover away from defeat. So what’s the difference between last weeks loss to the Eagles and their victories over teams like the Seahawks (who ran all over the Rams defense)? Well, three bad turnovers.
Had the Rams maybe had only one Jared Goff interception, we wouldn’t likely be analyzing his off-target passes into the end zone this week, or wondering if defenses have finally figured out Sean McVay’s diabolical plans. We could comfortably kick those conversations down the street because the Rams won again. But they didn’t.
While this is all stressful to Rams fans, the next three (or more) games will provide us with a much clearer idea of how far Sean McVay’s wave can roll. Can he continue to tinker and make adjustments to stay ahead of the game, or is possible that that ship has sailed, before these Rams even have a playoff victory to their name? Is there truly a recipe to rattle Jared Goff, who seems about as even keel as anyone on the team?
I would guess that Goff will be okay, and McVay will get the offense humming again, but it would be great to see that they can weather storms, like the one that they are currently slogging through. It’s a long season and all dominant franchises go through cold spells, just ask the New England Patriots. But this is our first dip with this team, so we can’t possibly have the underlying confidence that a Patriots or Golden State Warriors fan can have.
But you know what? Be glad, because we’re about to get answers to some of those serious questions over the next few weeks, for better or worse.
But here’s something, Vegas currently has the Rams updated odds to win the Super Bowl at 5-1. That’s second only to the New Orleans Saints, who are listed at 3-2. The Rams recent struggles hit home for those who care, but they’re still listed ahead of the Chiefs , Los Angeles Chargers, Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys or anyone else.
But they have to play clean, or they won’t beat any of those teams.
Let’s see what this team is made of.