Rams are no longer overwhelming favorites in NFC West

[kurtfaulk]

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https://sportsnaut.com/2019/03/rams-are-no-longer-overwhelming-favorites-in-the-nfc-west/

RAMS ARE NO LONGER OVERWHELMING FAVORITES IN THE NFC WEST
By
Vincent Frank
-
March 16, 2019
It seems a bit ridiculous on the surface. Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams nearly defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

McVay is a genius. Youngsters Jared Goff and Todd Gurley pace an elite-level offense. On the other side of the ball, Aaron Donald is coming off a second consecutive NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

In the end, Los Angeles took home the NFC West by a cool three games — finding itself nine games ahead the Arizona Cardinals and 10 games in front of the last-place San Francisco 49ers.

But we’re here to say that these Rams are no longer the overwhelming favorites in a division that’s on the verge of getting a whole lot better.

Los Angeles Rams: Free-agent losses are going to hurt.

• Los Angeles lost two starters along the offensive line in that of stud guard Rodger Saffold and veteran center John Sullivan. These are not small losses in an NFL that’s still defined by trench ware fare.
• It’s also seemingly a foregone conclusion that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will move on to another team. He anchored the Rams’ line with Donald last season.
• On the surface, Eric Weddle is an upgrade over Lamarcus Joyner at safety. Though, he’s older than his counterpart. Could Weddle regress in 2019?

Los Angeles Rams: The Jared Goff, Todd Gurley dynamic.

• Seen as one of the best young backfields in the NFL, both of these players struggled down the stretch during the Rams’ Super Bowl run last season.
• Said to be dealing with injuries, Gurley was a non-factor in the final two playoff games — going for 45 yards on 14 attempts. Was he really injured? We still have no idea.
• Goff put up just one touchdown and two interceptions in the Rams’ three playoff games. Over the course of their final five regular-season games he threw six touchdowns compared to six picks. Is regression a concern?

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson is still an MVP candidate.

• Pretty much in a season of transition, Wilson helped his team to a surprising 10 wins and a playoff appearance. In the process, he proved himself to be a legit MVP candidate.
• The Super Bowl signal caller completed nearly 66 percent of his passes with 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
• Boasting the NFL’s best rushing attack, balance is the name of the game in Seattle. That’s going to be an issue for a disappointing Rams defense.

Seattle Seahawks: Defense is growing big time.

• Led by Frank Clark and Bobby Wagner, Seattle’s defense still found a way to rank in the top 11 in points allowed last season. There’s only room to grow on this front.
• We were equally impressed by young defensive backs Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers, Tedric Thompson and Bradley McDougald. None of these four have even hit their prime.
• Seattle also retained a core free agent in that of linebacker K.J. Wright. He remains one of the best players at his position in the game.

San Francisco 49ers: Injuries derailed team in 2019.

• Name a team that could overcome losing its expensive starting backfield before Week 3 concluded, only to have a successful season in the process.
• That’s what happened in San Francisco when running back Jerick McKinnon and franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down to torn ACLs.
• Still a rebuilding team, San Francisco didn’t have the depth to overcome these injuries during a four-win 2018 campaign.

San Francisco 49ers: Added big time to talented young core.

• Unlike previous offseasons, GM John Lynch decided to go with young talent in free agency. This added both elite-level players and depth to the team’s roster.
• On defense, San Francisco traded for Pro Bowl pass rusher Dee Ford — the best edge rusher in the game last season. It also added fellow Pro Bowlers, linebacker Kwon Alexander and cornerback Jason Verrett to the mix.
• On offense, San Francisco stole running back Tevin Coleman away from the Atlanta Falcons while adding a still-young Jordan Matthews at wide receiver.

Arizona Cardinals: Massive head coach upgrade.

• As we’ve seen with McVay and the Rams, coaching matters in the NFL. Fired after one season, Steve Wilks simply wasn’t the answer in the desert.
• We have no idea how Kliff Kingsbury will work out. What we do know is that he’s an innovative offensive mind of the McVay/Shanahan ilk. That’s not a bad thing.
• Depending on what happens at quarterback, Kingsbury will have either Josh Rosen or Kyler Murray to work with. He’s also going to get the most of stud running back David Johnson.

While we fully expect Los Angeles to win the NFC West again in 2019, it’s nowhere near a foregone conclusion. The NFL is all about battles in the trenches and specific matchups.

It’s in this that the division’s three other teams might have an advantage after Los Angeles lost Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan.

Seattle has an elite pass-rush threat in that of Frank Clark. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Jarran Reed recorded 10.5 sacks last season.

San Francisco has turned pass rush into a strength after struggling in that category last season. Simply by adding Dee Ford to the mix with fellow Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner, the 49ers are going to cause major mismatches at the line. The two combined for 49 quarterback hits and 25 sacks last season.

In Arizona, the addition of Terrell Suggs to team up with Chandler Jones should also cause the Rams some fits.

Given that Goff struggles with pressure up the middle, this is no small thing. We’re highly intrigued to see how everything plays out during the 2019 season.

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[Riverumbbq]

I can't really argue much with the article, although it's still quite early in the off/pre-season to offer too many conclusions.
Defensively, the Rams have already improved at Safety with the arrival of Weddle. While Peters had a poor first half of last season, he came on as the season matured. With Fowler re-signed, the Rams appear to have perhaps 3 remaining holes or problem areas, first being the replacement of Suh which will either likely involve Brockers moving back to his old position and finding another DE, or drafting a DT and leaving Brockers where he was last year. Second, replacing Barron shouldn't be all that difficult, and he may already be on the team. Some have Micah Kiser taking over next to Littleton, others have speculated that Ebukam could transition inside. Third, an Edge LOLB, improving on Ebukam's less than stellar performances. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo may be ready to compete for the position, and I thought perhaps the oft-injured Dominique Easley might make for an interesting battle, but he is yet to be re-signed. This position is also ripe for acquiring a highly talented draft pick.

Offensively, the Rams have 2 gaping holes along the OL at LG and Center. Sullivan was far from the same guy last season than the one we acquired in 2017, so matching/improving his production in 2019 shouldn't be all that difficult, especially when we already have Brian Allen, Aaron Neary, and Austin Blythe capable of competing there. Replacing Saffold will be the tougher job, thankfully we have the 6'5", 321 lbs. Joseph Noteboom ready to step in before he's on to his next job replacing Whitworth in 2020. If what we have isn't enough, look towards a Center or OG to be added to our draft wish list. Other problem areas may present themselves at RB and TE, if Gurley has gone lame, this is big trouble, ... and after 3 years, Higbee is yet to make much of an impact.

The Rams will get more active in the next phase of free agency, they can still trade players and draft picks, and they can open more CAP space by tinkering around with player contracts. The Rams are still a good team, and with Snead, McVay & Wade making the important decisions, we remain the top dog in our division and the team to beat. Now, whether we can get back to the Super Bowl, that's another question ...

 

[SteezyEndo]

Killjoy journalism. There is validity though. The NFC West was shot, I can only hope as the competition gets better we can get even more better. If we fail to do so then it will be rough. Still got months ahead of us to prepare.

 

[CGI_Ram]

It is still our division.

Seattle was a bit of a surprise last year and with Wilson they are always a threat. But no team seems more depended on the QB for success than Seattle. Said another way, who fears Seattle without Wilson? But they should hang around.

The 49’ers are an unknown. The presure will be on Shanahan entering his 3rd year. Will Garapollo bounce back? What do they have in Garapollo anyway?

Arizona, if they draft a rookie QB, have...well... rookies at HC and QB.

 

[leoram]

Yawn....

Barely a week into free agency and this clown assumes the offseason is complete.

Apparently, roster strength is determined by a handful of players.

QB’s struggle w pressure up the middle. Who knew?

A rookie head coach from college is a “massive ....upgrade” over a veteran NFL coach without ever blowing an NFL whistle in practice?

The 9’ers didn’t have depth to overcome injuries. So now they do? When did that happen?

I suppose the gap will close between the Rams and the rest of the NFC West. I suppose they can’t go 6-0 against them every year with a combined score of 221to 114. If you are who the record says you are, the Rams are only twice as good as the rest of the NFC West. On second thought, maybe this guy is right ... it’s not a foregone conclusion.

Back to my offseason nap.

Yawn

 

[…..]

It is still our division.

To be the best you gotta beat the best.

Remember that tired ol saying?

It still applies but the shoes on the other foot now. They are all looking up. Up to the Rams.

Game on.

 

[dieterbrock]

I think it’s pretty fair really.
And i truly appreciate that the writer had the balls to go against the grain on the SB
“It seems a bit ridiculous on the surface. Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams nearly defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.”
They’ve lost a bunch in FA, lost another coach. And winning a division 3 years in a row is a tall order for any team.
And still, like the writer says, the Rams should still win the division, just not such a huge favorite.

 

[bubbaramfan]

If the Rams start the season with the current OL of Whitworth, Noteboom, Allen Blythe and Havenstien, they will regress. Saffold leaving will expose Whitworth, whose success was greatly helped by Saffold. Allen may be stouter than Sully, but is green and will surely not be as good at line calls and recognizing designed hidden blitz', which will reslult in more sacks and TFLs. ,

A 39 year old LT, the loss of a pro bowl callibur LG, replaced by a 2nd year LG with no starts, and a 2nd year C with no starts is a recipe for disaster. No way this OL can be as good as the last two years.

 

[Loyal]

Build ‘em upand thentear ‘em down.It’s what we do. ~ Sports Media

 

[Riverumbbq]

If the Rams start the season with the current OL of Whitworth, Noteboom, Allen Blythe and Havenstien, they will regress. Saffold leaving will expose Whitworth, whose success was greatly helped by Saffold. Allen may be stouter than Sully, but is green and will surely not be as good at line calls and recognizing designed hidden blitz', which will reslult in more sacks and TFLs. ,

A 39 year old LT, the loss of a pro bowl callibur LG, replaced by a 2nd year LG with no starts, and a 2nd year C with no starts is a recipe for disaster. No way this OL can be as good as the last two years.

Whitworth will turn 38 years old following the end of the 2019 regular season. I understand the fear, but the 3 guys remaining aren't bad by any stretch, we've had much worse OL problems than this. I'll be far more concerned if, besides these changes, that Gurley is also sidelined.

 

[OldSchool]

We weren't at the start of 2018 either iirc. People then were still slobbering over Jimmy G and hte Whiners were going to take the world by storm then as well.

 

[IBruce80]

[





The headline is over dramatic as the writer goes on to state this:

While we fully expect Los Angeles to win the NFC West again in 2019, it’s nowhere near a foregone conclusion.

The headline could simply be : Rams still favourites to win the West.

Some fair points, but I think everyone can agree it's not going to get easier.
Common sense really.

I have no doubt in my mind that we win the division again.

 

[Flint]

Kingsbury shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as McVay. A losing record in the pass happy big 12 despite the presence of MVP Mahomes. And why wasn’t Mahomes better? 1 year starting in OU and Murray is heisman winner and first qb off the board, Mahomes was a little bit under the radar til the Chiefs jumped up. I’m just not sold yet, McVay had nfl experience as position coach and play caller. Kingsbury skipped those steps, we’ll see how it works out.
And while we’re at it, what has Shanny done thus far, seems like he and Jimmy G are about to do great things every year. They remind me of the lakers, fans and media have unrealistic expectations that are never realized.
The hags are the biggest threat in the division they have championship experience and an elite qb.
6-0 isn’t sustainable unless you’re in NE and winning the division is the #1 goal.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

A 39 year old LT, the loss of a pro bowl callibur LG, replaced by a 2nd year LG with no starts, and a 2nd year C with no starts is a recipe for disaster. No way this OL can be as good as the last two years.

I thought our only truly critical offseason move was to somehow hold on to Saff, so I agree we may be in big trouble. Here's to hoping Kromer really is as good as advertised....

 

[snackdaddy]

Bovada has the Rams at 1/2 to win the division. They're at 10/1 to win the Superbowl behind KC, NE and NO. That means the guys who stand to gain or lose are a lot more confident the Rams are winning the division than someone who needs clicks and views during the offseason.

 

[fearsomefour]

The Rams have taken a step back on paper.
Whether that translates to the field or means anything, time will tell.
The Rams D looked great on paper and was not most of the year.
Just need to find or have existing guys step up at LB who play solid ball. Maintain responsibility, tackle well. This will go a long way to taking constant pressure off of the O.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Dumb title.

Dumb article with lots of moves yet to be made.

There is no evidence that the rest of the NFC West has done enough to steal the division from the Rams.

 

[Merlin]

I used to always give Sheattle the benefit of the doubt when it was their division. Same way I give us the benefit of the doubt now. You never know who's going to rise and fall, but if they simply focus on filling needs and bring in good locker room types who will do the work I think this run is going to continue.

And competition from the rest of the division is a good thing. Will make us better IMO.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

If the Rams start the season with the current OL of Whitworth, Noteboom, Allen Blythe and Havenstien, they will regress. Saffold leaving will expose Whitworth, whose success was greatly helped by Saffold. Allen may be stouter than Sully, but is green and will surely not be as good at line calls and recognizing designed hidden blitz', which will reslult in more sacks and TFLs. ,

A 39 year old LT, the loss of a pro bowl callibur LG, replaced by a 2nd year LG with no starts, and a 2nd year C with no starts is a recipe for disaster. No way this OL can be as good as the last two years.

Pretty sure Blythe was making those calls, if we are to go off of presnap signals

Not sure why Blythe sliding over to Center hasn’t been discussed more...but carry on