Anyone who tuned in to the Super Bowl two weeks ago could see that the quarterback playing for the Rams was not ready to take on the big stage. More importantly, Jared Goff played so poorly that his chances of leading his team to another February game have diminished greatly. How often do we see teams that lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, return or even come close to returning?
The Rams secondary had no answers for the now Super Bowl MVP, Julian Edelman, despite making waves in the offseason with the acquisitions of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. Ultimately, the payoff was second place. Of course, making the Super Bowl in the first place is an achievement in and of itself — or is it? Many teams go into the season with a “championship mindset,” as they should. No football team would say they were happy just to make it all the way to the biggest game, but, in this instance, the Rams don’t really have a case for a “we’ll be back” motto.
The bottom line is that the Rams’ offense is nowhere near a powerhouse like we thought it was, and it seemed like this was truer the deeper into the season and postseason that we got. The Rams capitalized on a blown call in the NFC Championship, but proved all the doubters right when they looked exactly like the team that got there on a blown call.
What many in the football cognoscenti have overlooked is that juggernaut defenses are incredibly vulnerable to one-hit-wonder seasons, and LA’s defense is the top candidate to fall victim to that trend this year — just ask the Jaguars how far their defense fared a season after a convincing AFC championship appearance. Or, ask the Atlanta Falcons, formerly referred to as Super Bowl contenders, before the season began.
Currently, Ndamukong Suh’s future with LA is uncertain, as a contract renewal will take interest from both parties, according to Rams insider Myles Simmons. To make matters worse on the defensive side of the football, the rumor mill is floating around the possibility of the release of Aqib Talib.
Something that sets LA apart is Sean McVay. The visionary wunderkind is a once-in-a-generation head coach, and should not be counted out in giving his team a winning chance every game. There is no doubt, however, that it will take more than a coaching effort to fix this team’s gaping wounds, especially in the passing game.
