How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ESPN)

[ShaneG]

Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

In the sports world at large, there might not be a more abused, misused and otherwise overused phrase than the ever-popular but radically overplayed “must win game.”

With that said, is it possible that Sunday’s St. Louis Rams regular-season opener vs. the Arizona Cardinals could legitimately qualify as such?

At first thought, the inquiry seems ludicrous and absurd. Yes, I think I heard several of you groaning before even finishing the title.

Ideally, the must-win phrase would be locked away and only made available for critical matchups like game sevens of the World Series or NBA Finals, or for teams needing a win to ensure automatic qualification to the NCAA basketball Tournament.

Of course, that isn’t the case. We hear it used much, much more than on those rare occasions when it truly could and should be applied. Unfortunately, we see it casually verbalized at all sorts of odd, bewildering times.

Close to home, we hear fans and media alike tossing out the phrase during midseason Cardinals games. We hear spectators and announcers enunciating it far too often and much too soon during Blues seasons.

In short, we hear it far too frequently in situations that are far from concrete, bona-fide must-win situations.

However, in the case of the 2013 Rams and in the specific and strict context of a prospective playoff push, the home opener vs. NFC West foe Arizona is about as close to an authentic must-win affair as one might ever find in a Week 1 clash.

No, I haven’t yet lost my mind. There are at least three significant reasons why this week’s tilt comes darn close to registering as a genuine must-win battle.

Reason No. 1: The Extreme Youth

(Hope you guys enjoy the full read and much, much more here):

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[nighttrain]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

I agree completely tha tfor this young team with playoff hopes, winning against the Cards is a must win. A loss, while not devastating would be a major deal. We need every division win we can get, and with our schedule, a good start almost a necessity
train

 

[Thordaddy]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Love ya Shane but a season opener is NEVER a "must win".
I remember the Pats losing a season opener to Buffalo 38-0 and they had a pretty good rest of the season.

Just TOO early for me to say a young developing team needs to win THIS game ,by week 14 considering our youth we will barring injury be a much better team.

We need to play well,I expect a win , but the "must win" description is a corner I ain't paintin' this buncha young guns into.

 

[nighttrain]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Love ya Shane but a season opener is NEVER a "must win".
I remember the Pats losing a season opener to Buffalo 38-0 and they had a pretty good rest of the season.

Just TOO early for me to say a young developing team needs to win THIS game ,by week 14 considering our youth we will barring injury be a much better team.

We need to play well,I expect a win , but the "must win" description is a corner I ain't paintin' this buncha young guns into.

gotta disagree Thor, with our schedule and youth, we must win games we are favored to win. To expect less is not a way to start the season
train

 

[rhinobean]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Not a "must win" but a loss would make my 8-0 record at home prediction look bad!

 

[Selassie I]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Hasn't it been 7 or 8 years since we won the opener?

I'd really like to break that streak and start the season off with a division win.

In order to win the NFC Best... we must take care of our home divisional games... making this very close to being a Must Win in my book.

Long season though... lots can happen in the 15 following games that could make game 1 meaningless.

Best move is to beat the shit out of the deadbirds and render them meaningless.

 

[LesBaker]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

I don't think it's a "must win" game. It's a "should win" game. But it's also a "oops lost" game. This is a good defense the young untested O is facing. And Palmer may not be drinking from the fountain of youth but they will score more points with him than they ever could with Skelton/Kolb/Lindley.

Keep in mind that one win v. the Cardinals last year was because of a career type game from Jenkins. The other game was more controlled by AZ than our Rams. So this isn't going to be a "gimme". We all watched the games last year and the Rams didn't run the Cardinals off the field by any stretch. Both teams have improved so it should be a good matchup and I think the Rams have the edge and I think they will win. But if they don't it won't do much to the rest of the season or the players psyches.

 

[-X-]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

A Sunday conquest could give St. Louis that extra confidence and swagger to head into the remaining stages of a brutally rough opening quarter of the slate and assist the Rams in getting off to a sound start.

Agree with this a hunnid percent. With a team this young, they need the confidence early so it can carry on through the next game, and the next, and the next, and so on. It's up to B-Rad to fully embrace that leadership role and keep these guys (particularly on offense) focused and determined. If receivers have a drop, hit 'em again the next play. Offensive line not protecting well enough? Make it known that you're tired of getting harassed. Don't shake your head in disgust if things don't go your way (anyone else notice that?), just direct traffic out there and let your energy rub off on everyone else.

 

[fearsomefour]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Nice write up Shane....I agree. While it may not be a total "must" win, it is a very important game in terms of setting a tone with a young team. The line between starting 2-2 or 0-4 is razor thin with this team and its schedule. Figuring the Rams will beat the Whiners because we beat them last year is a stretch. That is going to be a great, physical, brutal game. At Atlanta and at Dallas are interesting match ups.
The 55% stat about the roster is amazing. Im sure the coaches know they are going to have to be patient with this roster. It is the main reason I picked the Rams at 7-9. With so many young guys on D it is very important the Rams can run the ball in a consistant manner. Doesnt have to be 5 yards per pop, but, they have to be able to sustain possession to a solid degree. Multiple possessions (for example) that has an imcomplete deep pass to Givens, a bubble screen to Austin for 4 yards and an incomplete pass will put the D in a very bad situation. I believe the D is loaded with potential play makers, but, if the O can reduce the number of possessions by the other teams O by 2 or 3 possessions a game, that could be the difference.

 

[OnceARam]

Re: How Rams Opener Is a Near Must Win Vs. Cardinals (101 ES

Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

In the sports world at large, there might not be a more abused, misused and otherwise overused phrase than the ever-popular but radically overplayed “must win game.”

With that said, is it possible that Sunday’s St. Louis Rams regular-season opener vs. the Arizona Cardinals could legitimately qualify as such?

At first thought, the inquiry seems ludicrous and absurd. Yes, I think I heard several of you groaning before even finishing the title.

Ideally, the must-win phrase would be locked away and only made available for critical matchups like game sevens of the World Series or NBA Finals, or for teams needing a win to ensure automatic qualification to the NCAA basketball Tournament.

Of course, that isn’t the case. We hear it used much, much more than on those rare occasions when it truly could and should be applied. Unfortunately, we see it casually verbalized at all sorts of odd, bewildering times.

Close to home, we hear fans and media alike tossing out the phrase during midseason Cardinals games. We hear spectators and announcers enunciating it far too often and much too soon during Blues seasons.

In short, we hear it far too frequently in situations that are far from concrete, bona-fide must-win situations.

However, in the case of the 2013 Rams and in the specific and strict context of a prospective playoff push, the home opener vs. NFC West foe Arizona is about as close to an authentic must-win affair as one might ever find in a Week 1 clash.

No, I haven’t yet lost my mind. There are at least three significant reasons why this week’s tilt comes darn close to registering as a genuine must-win battle.

Reason No. 1: The Extreme Youth

(Hope you guys enjoy the full read and much, much more here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/09/05/rams-home-opener-near-must-win-vs-cardinals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/09/05/ram ... cardinals/</a>

I completely agree; this is a must win game. If the RAms can't beat the Cards, given all the trouble they're going through right now, it has potentially devastating implications on just how smart it was to move away from a run-based, dink-and-dunk West Coast offense to a vertically based Spread concept.

This game is much more than the first game of the first quarter of the season. It is the first game of an entirely overhauled offensive philosophy, which is why we need to see some immediate dividends.