Rams Face Tough Road Stretch Ahead

The Rams barely escaped week one against the Arizona Cardinals, coming back from a 24-13 deficit with around 13 minutes remaining in the final quarter. Unfortunately, things will not get much easier for the Rams as the next two weeks the team will be on the road against two tough opponents in the Falcons and Cowboys. Winning week one against the Cardinals was essential for the Rams to have a shot at the playoffs, but to go to the playoffs you must be able to sneak a few out on the road.

In order for the Rams to make the playoffs they need to win one of these next two games which will not be an easy task. It makes it even more difficult that the Rams have not done well on the road in recent years. The Rams have gone 6-17-1 on the road the last three seasons, however the Rams have gone 3-4-1 on the road in the Jeff Fisher era.

While the Rams have failed to play well on the road, the Falcons play their best football at home. The past three season the Falcons have gone 20-4 at home and 33-7 since Matt Ryan arrived in 2008 that is excluding the playoffs however. Either way 33-7 is a great record to have at home and it explains why this team is a contender every year. Winning this game on the road is going to be very difficult for the Rams, anything is possible with this team, but this challenge is going to be a difficult one.

Week three against the Dallas Cowboys is by far the more winnable game between the two. Like the Rams, the Cowboys won their home opener forcing six turnovers. The Rams cannot afford to do that when they go to Dallas.  The last three seasons the Cowboys have gone 11-13 at home in their new stadium. The Cowboys have been known as being an inconsistent in recent years, the Rams need to hope that they catch the Cowboys on a down week and can leave Dallas with a victory.

These two games wouldnt be as important if they werent against fellow teams in the NFC competing for a playoff spot.  The NFC is a competitive conference with a limited amount of playoff spots. Rams hopes of making the playoffs could come down to whether or not they win or lose these games. Hopefully the Rams can surprise a few people and win one of these two games before they have to face division rival, San Francisco 49ers on primetime.