Do we have a real shot to contend for the NFC West?

[RamRod]

While we took care of business against a poor Colts team this week, the rest of the NFC West took losses and now we solely sit in first place in the NFCW. I know it's early but we may have a real opportunity here.

The Seahawks offense looked pretty bad and their offensive line will end up being a serious problem for them all season.
Heard nothing but bad things on how Carson Palmer was yesterday and with David Johnson injured for some time, their offense could really struggle.
The 49ers only managed 3 points yesterday and are still one of the bottom teams in the league.

So basically I think we definitely have a legitimate chance. We tend to play pretty competitive with our division rivals anyway.

[stl4life07]

I'll say yes we have a shot. Do people forget that last season Rams started (3-1) and tied for first place in the division. The next 6 games the Rams went (1-5) and the losses were on average 5.3pts per game. They were down by 7pts in Buffalo in the 4th. They lost by 3pts to Carolina. Lost by 3pts late in the 4th at Detroit. Blew a 10pt lead in London against the Giants and blew a 14pt lead in the 4th against the Dolphins. The Rams were in those games and if things broke right maybe the Rams would've been sitting (8-2) instead of (4-6) and quitting on Fisher and the season then obviously firing Fisher.

Fastforward to this season, the Rams are a better team just because of coaching and talent. Goff looks really good which makes the Rams better. The schedule is easier this season than last. You are right the Seahawks offense still looks bad (Rams have their number), the Cards just lost their best player DJ for awhile and Palmer is a shell of himself, and the Niners are rebuilding. So I'm interested to see if the Rams can get off to a fast start again and then sustain it. I think they will and it goes back to what I said about Fisher never getting the Rams over the hump. McVay will and nobody should be surprised when that happens because all he is doing is taking a young talented team and getting everything and some out of them. Fisher wanted to do things his way even when it wasn't working because he didn't change with the times. We don't have to worry about that with McVay.

[NVRamsFan]

Lets worry about week 2 and Washington. Talk about the playoffs later if we maintain playing well.

[jrry32]

35 minutes ago, NVRamsFan said:

Lets worry about week 2 and Washington. Talk about the playoffs later if we maintain playing well.

Why? We're not the Rams. Us talking about the playoffs has no affect on what happens next week. 

[RamRod]

41 minutes ago, NVRamsFan said:

Lets worry about week 2 and Washington. Talk about the playoffs later if we maintain playing well.

Fair point. Just trying to get some discussion going. I think there's a real opportunity for the Rams here if they can step up and take it.

[jrry32]

2 hours ago, RamRod said:

While we took care of business against a poor Colts team this week, the rest of the NFC West took losses and now we solely sit in first place in the NFCW. I know it's early but we may have a real opportunity here.

The Seahawks offense looked pretty bad and their offensive line will end up being a serious problem for them all season.
Heard nothing but bad things on how Carson Palmer was yesterday and with David Johnson injured for some time, their offense could really struggle.
The 49ers only managed 3 points yesterday and are still one of the bottom teams in the league.

So basically I think we definitely have a legitimate chance. We tend to play pretty competitive with our division rivals anyway.

Yes. Then again, so does every other team in the NFL West at this point in the season (except for the 49ers lol).

[NVRamsFan]

35 minutes ago, jrry32 said:

Why? We're not the Rams. Us talking about the playoffs has no affect on what happens next week. 

Sorry misread the title of the thread, didn't know this was the week 1 overreaction thread haha

[holt_bruce81]

Who do you guys think we play in the Super Bowl?

[BEASToftheEAST4]

It's been a very exciting week 1. But I, too, would like to see how we fair off against a better opponent. Or rather, I'd like to see how consistent we stay. We played great. That much we controlled. As far as the other teams, Arizona just caught a bad break with Johnson's injury. Yes, Seattle looked bad on offense but it was against a good Green Bay team in Lambeau. That can't be understated. Additionally, I feel like the last few years, the Shehawks have started off slow just to really turn on the burners mid way through the season and finish off strong. Way too early to count them out. It would be foolish to. 

[LARams91]

I am also cautiously optimistic and would like to see how the team plays against the Redskins this week, then turns around with a short week Thursday against the niners and then faces a real test in the Cowboys. This stretch could be huge for the season. Build confidence in the guys early and success I feel will come. Though the voice in the back of my head is slowly changing my expectations to 10 wins....

[BStanRamFan]

I think it's very possible with the condition of the rest of the NFC West. SF was never expected to be a threat so let's cross them off. AZ is hit or miss and contingent upon Carson staying healthy, the run game, and the defense; well David Johnson will miss significant time and Carson didn't look good even though healthy. That defense can still make plays, but collapsed in the second half of last week. Now Seattle... O-line is putrid. Which lead to a lack of a run game and Russel Wilson running for his life. He's a very tough guy and will take a beating, but will he eventually break? I'm not banking on an injury (nor would I want to win that way), but he can become shell shocked. Plus, we always play Seattle well.

 

Now for our assessment: Pass protection gave Goff time to find what the defense is giving us. He can succeed in that fashion and be an Alex Smith type QB. Run blocking didn't open up too many holes and a penalties brought back a few Gurley runs that coulda broke for 10+.

 

Defense made a lot of plays, but our LB's covering TE's did not look good. Going to be tough when we have to face Jordan Reed, Jason Witten, Kyle Rudolph, Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz, and Delanie Walker.

 

Can we win the division: Yes. It is a real possibility. Last year we collapsed when facing adversity. I think what McVay has instilled in the offseason will not allow for those types of collapses. 10-6 is a real possibility.

[StLunatic88]

Yea we have a chance for the division. Many of us have been preaching this all offseason. Mostly because this is a very flawed Division. And through week one, we were the only ones that did not have that flaw rear its head;

The Seahawks O-line looks like a mess, and Im not sure what they can do to correct it. I actually like the Packers Defense, but they are not dominant pass rushers, yet had Russell running for his life all game. The Cardinals biggest question going into the year was how old is Carson Palmer? And the answer this week is Ancient. And of course the Niners are just talent deficient. Our Question was will Goff lead this new offense or hold it back, so far looks like he is going to do a decent enough job.

Id like to see us take care of business these next two weeks like we should, then I will feel good about our chances

[El Ramster]

I want to say yes but I'm terrified to death..

But if Goff keeps progressing and our D maintains this nastiness then yes we can..

 

[LARams91]

26 minutes ago, El ramster said:

I want to say yes but I'm terrified to death..

But if Goff keeps progressing and our D maintains this nastiness then yes we can..

 

This is huge. As well as Goff played with a nice, clean pocket, he played very well under pressure as well. I think this is where Goff can shine in the league. He can make quick, fast throws out to his receivers like we saw him do at Cal. Kid just needed the confidence. I think we're onto something now.

[showtime]

Absolutely.  The Rams have made great strides during the off-season.  Bringing in both Sean McVay and Wade Phillips is one of the most dramatic coaching changes in history, considering what they had before.  McVay is going to be a great head coach and Phillips is one of the best defensive coaches ever.  The coaching improvements alone are going to be significant.  Not to mention, the Rams got better across the board - Bringing in Andrew Whitworth was one of the most underrated signings of the off-season.  Also, I cannot stress enough how good Sammy Watkins is.  Injuries are his big issues, but when healthy he is such a force.  At the end of this post, I will attach a picture comparing Watkins and Julio Jones and how similar they both are after their first couple of years in the league.  Rams have hit home runs via the draft with Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp.  They also have other young talented pieces that could potentially be heavy contributers in the future.

Now to the topic of winning the division, I believe the biggest threat to the Rams are the Seahawks - but after week one, the Seahawks have pressing questions on offense.  I hope we can turn it around offensively as the season goes on, but the offensive line will probably be really poor no matter what, if we're being realistic.  The Seahawks have a great defense, but if the offense can't step up, I fear the Rams may ultimately become the favorites to win the division.  

The only thing keeping me on the Seahawks ban wagon as far as winning the division is they have so much experience, so if the race is really tight I think they'll possibly be more consistent down the stretch.  The Rams are really young and with all the pieces they have in place with the coaching stuff and players - this division looks like it will belong to them in the future.