The Low Angeles Rams stumbled into the bye week on the back of a disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8.
Despite the poor performance, the Rams are still in a good position at 5-3 halfway through the 2020 NFL season. Regardless, they will need to find a way to kick things up a notch given the competitive state of the juggernaut NFC West.
The defense has been a point of strength for the Rams throughout the season. Unfortunately, the offense has failed to hold up its end of the bargain in a number of games.
Wide receiver Robert Woods acknowledged that the onus will fall on the offense to start setting the pace moving forward to the second half of the season, per Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“I’ve been saying the same thing for a while now, got to start fast and play consistent throughout the whole game,” Woods said during his postgame press conference. “You see our defense playing and play well. It’s really just playing consistent, starting fast.”
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers added that the Rams will not be treating the bye like a week off:
“I think that Woods said it best, don’t take this week off, find something you can get better at, watch film, just improve your game,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said during his postgame video conference. “Don’t take this week as a week off to do whatever you want to do. Actually stay in tune, stay with it and come back ready to go.”
Despite the extra time to rest and recuperate, L.A. would be wise to remain wary given their upcoming schedule. They will have ample time to prepare for their divisional showdown with the Seattle Seahawks before taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
It is safe to say that the coming weeks may shape up to be the most pivotal stretch of the 2020 campaign if the Rams hope to secure a spot in the playoffs. Of course, they will first need to find a way to get back on track from their abysmal outing versus the Dolphins.
Quarterback Jared Goff already took responsibility for his woeful performance that featured four turnovers on his part. Any chance at bouncing back after Week 9 will need to begin under center with him.
