Although the Los Angeles Rams had a very good season last year after finishing atop the NFC West with an 11-5 record, they had a very disappointing performance in the playoffs as they lost at home to the sixth-seeded Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Wild Card Round.
After an active offseason where they added a lot of talent, the Rams need to make some changes to make a deep run in the playoffs and have a shot at reaching the Super Bowl.
Changes The Rams Need To Make To Reach Super Bowl LIII
1.- Quarterback Jared Goff needs to play consistently good: Although he had a great 2017 season Goff was a disappointment in 2016. During seven games as a rookie in 2016, Goff went 0-7 as he threw five touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 55 percent of his attempts. In 15 games last season Goff went 11-4, posted a 28-to-7 TD-to-INT mark and completed 62 percent of his throws.
Although it’s undeniable that the arrival of head coach Sean McVay helped Goff, he needs to prove that he can become a consistent player season after season and that last year wasn’t a fluke. If he does get better and proves that he can again consistently lead the team to victory, the Rams will be well on their way to reaching Atlanta in January.
2.- The Rams bench needs to improve: This team needs to show some roster depth as injuries will always happen during the regular season’s 16 grueling weeks. If someone from their starters on offense or defense gets injured the Rams could be in trouble because there is a huge quality drop-off regarding their bench.
Last year the Eagles were able to win the Super Bowl because Nick Foles was able to pick off the load after a starting quarterback Carson Wentz got injured late in the season. It’s very unlikely the Rams can do the same in case one of their big three in offense or defense goes down.
Although the Rams starting 22 are among the best in the league they need to prove that their bench can deliver when it matters the most.
3.- New players need to gel quickly with the rest of the team: It’s no secret that this season is Super Bowl or bust for the Rams and with that in mind they added great talent during the offseason.
Some of the players brought in include Brandin Cooks, Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Sam Shields and Ndamukong Suh. But just adding talented players is not enough for a trip to the Super Bowl.
To really succeed and win it all the Rams need team chemistry. Several of the new Rams have very big egos so second-year coach McVay needs to prove that he can manage his locker room and integrate all these players successfully to make it all work.
