Sean McVay has the Rams in first place. (Jae C. Hong/AP)
Opening Thought
It’s time to find out just how good the Los Angeles Rams are and whether they have staying power as a top NFC contender.
The Rams have become winners far ahead of schedule in Sean McVay’s rookie season as an NFL head coach. He has worked wonders with second-year quarterback Jared Goff and he has the Rams in first place in the NFC West at 7-2. They’re a game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks in the division and they’re tied with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints for the NFC’s second-best record, a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
The games get far bigger from here. The Rams play Sunday at Minnesota. They host the Saints in L.A. a week after that. They face the Eagles at home and the Seahawks on the road in December. That means playing four of their next five games against the NFC’s other would-be contenders.
[For Drew Brees and the Saints, less (passing) is meaning more (winning)]
By the time that rugged stretch of the schedule ends Dec. 17, everyone should have a very good idea exactly how the Rams stack up in the conference.
No matter the outcome, McVay has done a terrific job. Goff looks like the franchise quarterback the Rams thought they were getting when they made him the top overall selection in last year’s NFL draft.
But if the future is going to be now for the Rams, they need to prove it in the coming weeks.
Around the League
Gruden time … It’s almost time for the coaching carousel to begin spinning, both in the NFL and in the college ranks. So that means it’s time for Jon Gruden to become a hot coaching commodity.
Gruden, so far, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the University of Tennessee’s coaching vacancy. He also has come up in speculation about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ job if they move on from Dirk Koetter.
A person who knows Gruden dismissed the speculation Thursday as merely the latest examples of the rumors that circulate annually about his possible return to coaching. But that doesn’t mean that one of those rumors could not come to fruition at some point. Gruden clearly loves to be wanted as a coach and he likes to issue never-say-never qualifiers along with any denials. Would the Tennessee job or the Tampa job be sufficiently alluring for him to leave the comfort of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth?
[The case for and against keeping Ben McAdoo, Hue Jackson, Chuck Pagano or Dirk Koetter]
He has coaching history with both, as a former graduate assistant at Tennessee and a former Super Bowl winner with the Buccaneers. The guess here is that Gruden simply enjoys the courtship and can’t bring himself to officially say goodbye to coaching but the TV both is too stress-free, comparatively speaking, and he never will actually take a job and coach again. But, as Gruden likes to say, you can never say never.
Kelly and Florida … If Chip Kelly makes his return to coaching in the college ranks at Florida, it probably would all but officially end his days in the NFL. Kelly would be remembered as another college coach who could not find matching NFL success in the manner of Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban. But in truth, Kelly was not a terrible NFL head coach.
He had a pair of 10-6 seasons with the Eagles. His undoing in Philadelphia was not his coaching; it was a power grab to secure control over roster decisions. He was a very poor general manager, and that led to a downward spiral that included a 6-9 season with the Eagles in 2015 before being fired with one game left in the season. He lasted only one year in San Francisco, having been ousted by the 49ers after going 2-14 last season. That cannot be considered entirely his fault, given that Jim Tomsula went 5-11 in 2015 to precede him and Kyle Shanahan is 1-9 this season after succeeding him.
Brees on Kamara … The Saints are having great success with their tailback tandem of Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. The versatility being displayed by Kamara reminds some observers of the manner in which Reggie Bush once was utilized in the Saints’ offense, and quarterback Drew Brees was asked after Sunday’s lopsided victory at Buffalo about that comparison.
“They’re both extremely dynamic players, guys that when they get the ball in their hands, exciting things happen,” Brees said. “I’d say Alvin, his ability to be able to step into this offense — we’ve asked him to do a lot of stuff. We’re very multiple with the things that we do from a personnel perspective and the personnel groups that come in the game and the tempo at which we operate. He’s in the backfield. He’s out of the backfield and he’s in motion. It can be a lot. He’s a very intelligent guy who really works at it. I think you see he has a great vision for what he can be in this offense. And he’s just doing his job.”
Extra Points
The Vikings made the right choice in sticking with Case Keenum at quarterback, at least for now, over Teddy Bridgewater. Keenum is playing well. The Vikings are winning. There’s no reason to make a switch at the moment. Bridgewater still can represent the future for the Vikings at the position. But Keenum is the immediate present. …
Coach Sean McDermott’s decision to switch from Tyrod Taylor to rookie Nathan Peterman as the Bills’ starter at quarterback is curious. No, Taylor didn’t play well last Sunday against the Saints. But it wasn’t Taylor who surrendered 298 rushing yards. The Bills, at 5-4, still have a chance to secure the franchise’s first playoff berth since the 1999 season. Going to a rookie quarterback — one chosen in the fifth round — under these circumstances was odd. But it does call to mind the pre-draft assessment by Gruden, who pointed to Peterman as perhaps the most NFL-ready quarterback available.
[So much for anyone challenging the Patriots down the stretch in the AFC East]
Games to Watch
Rams at Vikings … It’s Keenum vs. Goff. Last season, it would have been a mundane Rams practice. This season, it’s a marquee matchup.
Eagles at Cowboys … Dallas plays its second game without suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott. Just as importantly, the Cowboys also are expected to be without left tackle Tyron Smith and linebacker Sean Lee.
[Ezekiel Elliott drops his legal challenge and will serve his entire six-game suspension]
Chiefs at Giants … The Giants are awful but they somehow remain interesting to watch.
Patriots vs. Raiders in Mexico City … Vegas’s team that’s still in Oakland for the time being plays a quasi-home game in Mexico. Got all that?
Games to Miss
Buccaneers at Dolphins … The Dolphins appear done and the Bucs are starting Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Not exactly a compelling combination.
Cardinals at Texans … Another game, another Tom Savage start, another reason to ignore the Texans.
Bengals at Broncos … If only it was 2015, this would be a terrific matchup.
Read more on the NFL:
Al Michaels says Trump’s comments on NFL protests ‘like throwing a match into a gas tank’
NFL accuses Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of engaging in conduct detrimental to the league
After a bad week, the NFL’s concussion protocol comes under scrutiny once again
Michael Bennett and other athletes call on NFL teams to sign Colin Kaepernick