In the end, the miracle did not happen.
There were moments toward the end of the Rams’ Divisional Round defeat to the Eagles when it looked like Philadelphia was on the ropes.
For those who crave fairytale endings, it felt almost within touching distance. Yet, the Eagles were arguably the better team in the 28-22 victory, deservedly going on to the Conference Final.
However, the Rams should be proud of turning around a season that looked like it would be disastrous at one point. Overcoming a 1-4 start, the Rams won 9 of their last 12, beating some stellar teams like the Buffalo Bills. By the time the Playoffs rolled around, the Rams were dealing with tragedy, having to overcome the loss of home advantage in the Wild Card Round due to the LA wildfires.
The defeat of the Vikings was a tactical masterclass.
It was that Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings when fans truly started to believe. The Rams’ best performance of the season was a 27-9 victory that showed Sean McVay could concoct a game plan for which a strong opponent had no answer. The deal didn’t move massively in terms of the Super Bowl odds for the Rams, but there was enough for the Rams fans to start hoping, if not believing.
We won’t dwell too much on the season gone by except to highlight that there is enough there for the Rams fans to be optimistic for next season. Not everything is perfect – far from it – but it feels like this team has another level to reach. Indeed, it is not a team that requires an overhaul in the offseason. That is unlikely to happen in any event.
There are, of course, questions about Matthew Stafford. He is 37 now and admits that his body cannot go on forever. We saw different sides to Stafford in 2024: glimpses of his best, yet signs that his years in the game were catching up with him.
He was bullish on next season after the Eagles game, and he has done enough in a Rams shirt down the years to warrant another tilt as starting quarterback.
Young players have come to the fore for the Rams.
The Rams are young, with the roster ranked 3rd youngest of all 2024 teams. Perhaps too much emphasis is put on ranking the age of rosters, as, in truth, it doesn’t tell you much about a team’s Super Bowl credentials. Older teams have won it all before, just as younger teams have. Yet, having a relatively young roster does tell you that there is room for player development, and some of the Rams’ younger players will take a lot from the experience of the Playoffs this season.
The front office is unlikely to stand still in the offseason, although we wouldn’t expect too much in the way of blockbuster trades. The Rams also do not have much firepower in the 2025 Draft. They have the 26th pick in the first round, but they traded their second-round pick to the Panthers last year. They need to add some depth at wide receiver, so we might expect some movement in free agency for that position, with Darius Slayton mentioned as a possibility.
Yet, as we said, this team does not require major surgery.
The team improved as the 2024 season progressed, and rookies like Braden Fiske and Jared Verse look like future stars.
Fans of every team that does not end up with a Super Bowl inevitably ask for more, but with enough tweaks in the offseason, some better luck with injuries, a firing Stafford, and a better start, the Rams can look forward to an even better season in 2025.
PHOTO: FreePix
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