Reality Check

[Faceplant]

Feel better? This team is growing. For anyone to panic and whine about a loss to a VERY good team... at a VERY LOUD stadium... Trust me.....is over reaction. Keep Calm and Ram On.

 

[Ram_Rally]

Yes and no. Vikings are no joke at home and we were on a four game winning streak. I'm gonna try my best to be optimistic and say that this was the smelling salt that the Rams needed before a tough stretch

 

[Ellard80]

Rams lose a road game against a 7-2 team and people run to the bridges to jump off

Comical

Dude..that remaining schedule tho.

There is plenty of logic to justify people's worries

 

[Mackeyser]

Everyone dreaming about what could be this year just got a rude awakening from the Vikings. We are not ready to seriously compete in the playoffs. This was a real test, a chance for us to come out and show the world we're serious and we played our worst game of the season.

Countless missed sacks and tackles. Getting beat up front physically on both sides of the ball. Not making a play when we absolutely need to have one. Not showing mental toughness and responding to adversity when it's needed (Kupp).

I love this team and I know we are better than Seattle. But this Vikings defense is better than Seattle's and they gave it to us. That coupled with the fact that we cannot consistently stop the run on defense and are shaky at corner (Webster, Hatfield). We are weak at the point of attack at times and cannot get off blocks. We won't win tough physical games in the postseason if we can't win up front.

We have grown so much but there is so much more room for improvement. Goff isn't going to step up and take over games like he's Brady or Brees and expecting him to isn't realistic right now. Especially not against defenses of that caliber.

Let's see how we respond next week against the Saints. Big time players make big time plays in big time games, and today no one wanted to step up.

Yeah, and?

Why is it so hard for folks to understand that we've installed TWO completely new systems?

I mean, the offense was kinda WCO based, so guys could get that, but we've really played well for the most part converting from a 4-3 to a 3-4 without a NT, speedy OLBs and issues at corner.

I wouldn't have been surprised even as much as I like McVay and Wade if we ended up 8-8.

That they've come this far is a testament to how they've turned around this roster and the culture.

At 7-3 with one of the rough games behind us, I'd be shocked if we ended up 9-7. I think 10-6 is more likely unless we find our footing, then maybe 11-5.

We blew teams up when healthy. In the first year of a transition, it's NORMAL to not have the depth that established winning teams have.

It's gonna take time for Snead, McVay and Wade to build that depth.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yes it was a tough game on the road against a great team. But this was our first real playoff test and we couldn't step up in the moment. That's not at all concerning to you guys? To lose in THAT fashion?

Not at all. Kupp holds onto the ball and the complexion of the game changes.

Webster getting hurt was a huge blow

That game could have gone either way. I hope they meet in the playoffs.

I have seen enough to feel positive about the direction of this team, regardless
Of what happens from here on out.

 

[dolphinlover123]

I feel alright. Hope our corners heal up quick.

 

[SoCalRam78]

Dude..that remaining schedule tho.

There is plenty of logic to justify people's worries

I thought this was their toughest game. Saints and Eagles (tough games no doubt) are home games. At a banged up Seattle and a mediocre Titans team aren't as tough as this game.

 

[LesBaker]

Reality check.
The Rams weren't going to finish 14-2

Wait..........what? :rolllaugh:

 

[DR RAM]

IMO. It was just a loss to a good team, at home. They beat us today, but it wasn't the playoffs. This could be good for us.

 

[99Balloons]

This loss is a great lesson for the Rams to learn and adjust. The Vikings are no joke. And with NO, Philadelphia and Titans coming up, the Rams need to adjust and play to their strengths.

I want to see Everett instead of Higbee incorporated more into the offense because Higbee gets either pushed back or dropped passes. And the Rams need to use Josh Reynolds and Michael Thomas into their scheme.

Where was Tavon Austin today? Rams have many weapons to utilize and the Vikes defense is stifling like the Seahawks, Saints and Eagles that are coming up.

McVay needs to look back on the loss and maybe have Goff and the offense go fast-break football to throw great defenses off their rhythmn with the Saints, Eagles and Seahawks.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Wait..........what? :rolllaugh:

I know right?

"Stuck in a fox hole next to some you i would not want to be"

 

[gabriel18]

It is a reality check and a big loss . The schedule only gets tougher . 7 and 10 points against good defenses won't win many games and they have been healthy till today . After trading for Watkins this team was built to win now and the playoffs aren't a given . In fact it might be a tough in if they can't outlast the Hags . Again I just go by what I see and beating up on bad teams is great , but laying an egg is a big reality check.

 

[A55VA6]

We lost to a very good team in their house with incredible home field advantage. It's not the end of the world. We'll be alright.

Got a really good Saints team next week, so I know Rams will forget this one quickly and have a good week of prep. The Saints are beatable. Tough, but beatable.

 

[Gandalf]

A very costly fumble and a roughing the QB call made a big difference.

 

[yrba1]

Has Higbee ever caught a contested pass?

He has a couple of times but he's really inconsistent when it comes to making catches in traffic. TEs are expected to make those tough catches so that's no excuse for Higbee. Hopefully he'll improve and not be a tease like Jared Cook.

 

[Ram65]

Where do you jump in on these threads? The Vikings had the better offensive and defensive lines today.

A limited run game put the Rams offense behind the 8 ball today. The Rams inability to mount an offense put the pressure on the defense which held up well until the injuries. The defense couldn't put Keenum away a couple of times they had chances too and had no sacks. They also created no turnovers which is what has been fueling the offense often this year. Eventually the Vikings ran the ball up the Rams gut which has been a problem all season.

So really today's outcome is not a complete surprise. Cooper Kupp's fumble on the one yard line in a tied 7-7 game was a big blow to the Rams that need to be near perfect to beat a playoff type team like the Vikings in their dome. Kupp dropped a pass that was critical to keeping the Rams in the game at 14-7 on a third down. I wouldn't put the loss on Goff as much as a team loss. While Goff didn't make any magic he didn't turn the ball over and avoided the relentless pass rush a few times. Had the Gupp not fumbled the game may have had a different outcome.

Where were the fake jet weeps to Tavon Austin?

 

[Mackeyser]

The good news is that teams always seem to undervalue solid NTs. Not awesome, but simply solid.

So there's a really good chance that we bring in a FA at the very least to start.

I mean, a DL of Brockers, Solid FA run stopping, pocket pushing NT, and AD? Yeah, that's huge.

Going back to Fisher's time... when the front 7 are about their gap responsibilities, our D dominates.

When they aren't, we look pretty bad.

 

[Boston Ram]

Title of this thread should be renamed to knee jerk reaction

 

[bomebadeeda]

I understand we were the underdog and not expected to win. But we came out SOOOOO flat and no one made any plays.

Losing isn't the concerning thing to me it's how we lost.

We came out and had a touchdown drive. So flat? wasn't it. We didn't adjust and made some mistakes. Yes we did. We weren't going to win out.

 

[snackdaddy]

If we get our injured players back, we are ready to seriously compete in the playoffs. But we're probably not ready to win a Super Bowl.

That's what I'm thinking. We're not a serious Superbowl contender the way we struggle with upper tier defenses. But today we're still a serious playoff contender. No worse than tied for first after tomorrow night's game. Will we be a playoff contender in 6 weeks? I don't know. But we're still in the hunt today.