After making a trip to the Super Bowl two years ago, the Los Angeles Rams took a step back in 2019 when they went 9-7 and missed the postseason for the first time in the Sean McVay era.
Because of their disappointing 2019 season and how this offseason has played out, there aren’t too many people that a high on the Rams going into 2020.
Not only did the team part ways with two of its biggest stars on offense in Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks, but they also lost key members of their defense like Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler Jr., Clay Matthews and Nickell Robey-Coleman. On top of that, the Rams did not have a first-round pick at their disposal in the recent 2020 NFL Draft due to the Jalen Ramsey trade.
Despite all the changes, the Rams still have a ton of talent on their roster and a head coach that has done everything in his power to turn the organization around in recent years. So while the media may be low on the Rams going into 2020, McVay is not paying attention to that and still believes his team can make some noise, via J.B. Long of TheRams.com:
“I don’t really care what the narrative is, I care about the belief I have in our players, our coaches, and how excited I am for us to attack this opportunity and to write our own story,” McVay said this week.
“Our goal and expectation is to prepare to win every single game,” was his reply to whether 2020 might be categorized as a rebuilding year. “We didn’t do what we needed to do last year. I own that. I take full responsibility for it.”
The most unfortunate thing for the Rams is that they play in arguably the best division in football with two returning playoff teams in the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and a young, up-and-coming roster in the Arizona Cardinals.
With the addition of one extra playoff team in each conference in 2020 though, the Rams have an easier path to the postseason. While expectations for them aren’t high throughout the league, it is good to see that McVay is holding his team to the same standards as always.
The Rams still have a very talented roster despite all of the changes, so things are setting up for them to be one of the surprise teams of the NFL is they bounce back in 2020.
