The Rams have won 4 of 5 but will need to hold on to that consistency vs the Eagles to keep pace in the west
The Los Angeles Rams are coming off another victory, winning four of their last five games while rebuilding the fan base’s confidence in the team. The Rams are still in the postseason hunt only, one game back from the division leading Arizona Cardinals. As the standings sits, it appears most-likely that only one NFC West team will get a playoff spot and it will be the division winner, so LA cannot afford too many more losses.
According to our fan survey, confidence in the team has gone back up this week after their win over the New England Patriots, rocketing to 87% from 41%. The rollercoaster up-and-down confidence votes continue this week, but coming off a win where the offense seem to take a big step forward after some o-line changes, it’s understandable why fans would be excited.
It was a stellar day for the recently struggling Rams offense, as QB Matthew Stafford lit it up while throwing for four touchdowns. Three of his four touchdowns went to the wideout tandem of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, both of whom topped 100 yards receiving as well.
There was a lot to say after last week’s abysmal offensive line performance, but it may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced head coach Sean McVay to take a long hard look at the players he was putting on the field. While the Rams probably wanted to see Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom succeed given their lofty contracts, after giving up 4 sacks to the Miami Dolphins, it was clear their reinsertion over Beaux Limmer and Warren McClendon Jr. was a major mistake.
It was even more clear after the New England game this week, as the lineup with Limmer and McClendon back starting performed exponentially better, giving up zero sacks while leading an 86 yard rushing attack that averaged 5.7 yards per carry. It’s clear that Limmer is the best center on the roster, and as a late-round rookie GM Les Snead may have found another gem through the draft. As far as McClendon, he filled in very well at right tackle and should get another week to start as veteran RT Rob Havenstein has been ruled doubtful vs. the Eagles.
It will be a tough matchup Sunday night as Los Angeles welcomes the 8-2 Philadelphia Eagles, who come into the game on a six-game win streak. That said, the teams the Eagles faced during that stretch were not exactly contenders, playing the likes of the Browns, Jaguars, Giants and Cowboys during that stretch.
Still there is something to say about winning the games that you should win, which Philly has done and should not be discredited because of their opponents records. They’re winning right now, and the Rams will need to play their most complete game of the season if they hope to walk away with a victory.
At the time of this article, the Rams come into Sunday’s game as slight underdogs to the Eagles at +2.5 according to FanDuel. That pretty much coincides with the confidence vote, as many are taking the Eagles to cover.
The Rams have the roster to hang with and beat Philadelphia, their problem is getting both phases of the team to gel at the same time. It always seems like either the defense does well and the offense can’t get rolling or the offense does well and the defense struggles, so the Rams will need to make sure both sides are ready to go in this one. It will be a tough test, but if Los Angeles can get the win, it will be a statement to the NFC that LA is a contender not to be overlooked.