NFL 2020-21: Why the Rams are not a true threat
Sunday's batch of NFL games came with a few surprises, more precisely, the unexpected defeat of the Los Angeles Rams by the San Francisco 49ers.
Coming into Week 6, the Rams took home an easy win against the Washington Football Team, finishing with a 4-0 record against NFC East teams.
The 49ers, on the other hand, were recovering from an embarrassing 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Winning against the Rams was redemption for the 49ers. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seemed to be back in form, completing 23-33 passes across 268 yards with 3 touchdowns.
The Rams hold a 4-2 record and are currently third in the NFC West division, tied with the Arizona Cardinals. As mentioned earlier, the Rams had a clean slate against the NFC East division, which is where they got their four wins.
They were certainly lucky to play that whole division in the first 5 weeks of the 2020 season pushing them to the top 10 in power rankings. Although, they aren't necessarily a top 10 team.
As of today, the NFC East division is considered the worst performing division with a total of 5 wins and 18 losses. Despite all of that, the Rams struggled against the New York Giants, who at the time had not scored a single touchdown since Week 2.
The Rams scored just 17 points against the same team that allowed a massively injured 49ers to score 36 points.
Even against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, the Rams managed to score barely 20 points. They are currently the only team to score below 30 points against the Cowboys this season, even the Giants scored 34 points against the Cowboys.
No one expected the Rams to win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. Although, they did give the Bills a run for their money, they still lost in the end.
One can argue that the Rams defense is stellar and this has helped them play well, at least the stats certainly show they do.
Currently, the Rams defense ranks 4th overall. They rank 7th in points allowed, 10th in passing yards, and 16th in rushing yards. With superstars like Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, their defense is sure to be a tough one, but their secondary still needs some fixing.
The offense led by Jared Goff has been a bit shaky since the start of the season.
Also Read: What is Jared Goff’s Contract Breakdown?
Goff did not perform well against the Cowboys, throwing 0 touchdowns and 1 interception for a total QB rating of 79.4.
Since that game, Goff has maintained a QB rating of 100, until the 49ers game, in which he threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Goff's inconsistent accuracy continues to be questionable, something that was an issue last season as well.
The Rams are yet to prove they are a true threat in the league considering who their wins are against.
The Rams are slated to play the 5-1 Chicago bears on Monday night, another team that still has much to prove. Looking at their schedule, it could possibly be another 9-7 season for the Rams.