Rams McVay gets shot at old team, and first win in Week 2

The Los Angeles Rams and head coach Sean McVay get their first look at the NFC East when the Washington Redskins roll into town. It might also be the first win of the season.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay gets a shot at his former team, the Washington Redskins and quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 2 at the Coliseum. It may also be the first win of the 2017 NFL season for LA, and the first for McVay.

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Why? Two names: McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

In a piece I wrote last month, I noted that unlike last season, or any under Jeff Fisher, McVay would be worth one or maybe even two wins for the Rams this year.

Week 2 may see an early return on his hiring.

The Redskins will be one of the most interesting games on the Rams 2017 schedule, and for my money, a game I like Los Angeles to win.

Los Angeles has the NFC East to tangle with this season, and while most would contend they are the premier division in the NFL, Washington won’t be in the upper echelon of the East. Those two spots belong to Dallas and New York in that order.

Bottom line, Washington can be had.

Jay Gruden brings a much less talented team out west, and he will miss both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Their loss won’t help Kirk Cousins in his quest for both respect AND a long term deal from the Redskins’ brass. Terrelle Pryor is an exciting player, but he’ll struggle to replace the type of production Garçon and Jackson provided, and you can look for Wade Phillips to keep him a non factor.

Which coincidentally, will keep Cousins awfully pedestrian.

This is the kind of game where the Rams can do something. One reason is to not expect Washington to put up a lot of points. Phillips will prevent that. And if it’s close late, expect McVay to have something the second week of the season that puts Jared Goff and the Rams offense in position to win a likely close game.

Week 2 is that game where we’ll begin to see what McVay has with this Rams offense. I have few worries about LA’s defense (2018 will be a different story), but after a close one against Indianapolis, we can expect to have a better idea of where and how Goff is improving.

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I like the Rams to get their first win of the season against a Redskins team who will give LA some confidence, before heading out on the road to play the 49ers.

Rams 17
Redskins 13