The Rams are once again a team that nobody wants to see when the playoffs start
The Los Angeles Rams are once again making a late-season surge towards the postseason. Last year, the Rams started 3-6 before going 7-1 down the stretch. As one of the hottest teams in December and January, the Rams were a scary team once they reached the playoffs. The same could be said about the Rams this season. They started 1-4, but have gone 7-2 over their past nine games.
While the Rams haven’t looked as strong as they did over the second half of last season, they’ve managed to position themselves in firm control of the NFC West. Since Week 8, the Rams rank ninth in offense EPA. They rank 21st in defense EPA, but 12th in defense success rate.
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Tyler Loechner of FTN Fantasy recently put together a list of teams that nobody wants to see in the playoffs. Loechner compiled his list of teams that might still miss the playoffs. Coming in at number one on the list was the Rams. Said Loechner,
“The Rams are a middling 17th in total team DVOA, but they are eighth in passing DVOA, 11th in rushing DVOA, and seventh in overall offensive DVOA. The Rams have knocked off playoff teams/contenders in the Bills, Seahawks, and Vikings over the last six weeks, but they’ve also been blown out by the Cardinals and Eagles and struggled against the Saints. Long story short: They are incredibly inconsistent. That’s reflected in some of their efficiency stats as well. But when they get hot, they absolutely cook. Matthew Stafford has proven to have playoff magic, and the team’s wide receiver duo is still arguably the best in the biz. The Rams have to be viewed as the scariest team that might miss the playoffs.”
Even as the worst division winner in the NFC, the Rams are a team that not many would want to see in the playoffs. While the Rams have been wildly inconsistent at times, they have shown the ability to beat some of the best teams in the NFL. The Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season and then took down the Buffalo Bills. Both of those games were at SoFi Stadium which is where the Rams would play on wild card weekend.
The Rams have the playoff experience and pedigree that makes for a dangerous playoff team. Once we get to January and 14 teams remain, games become win-or-go-home. There aren’t many quarterbacks and head coaches that anybody would take in that situation than Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay.