0-16? I Think Not

Within the first few weeks of every football season, experts and fans alike begin to conclude who will end up being the worst team in football. This of course, leads to weeks of plotting out who the Lions/Texans/Raiders should take with the first overall selection which also in turn leads to speculation that some teams begin to “tank” games at the end of the season.

Last season the Rams started out horribly, but thanks to an awful Detroit Lions team along with two big upsets, St. Louis was able to escape the talks of worst in the league. This season however, they have not been so lucky. If you take a look at the standings, you’ll find the following teams sitting at 0-2 (teams they lost to are in parentheses) :

-Miami Dolphins (Colts, Falcons)
-Cleveland Browns (Vikings, Broncos)
-Jacksonville Jaguars (Colts, Cardinals)
-Tennessee Titans (Steelers, Texans)
-Kansas City Chiefs (Ravens, Raiders)
-Detroit Lions (Vikings, Saints)
-Carolina Panthers (Eagles, Dolphins)
-Tampa Bay Bucs (Cowboys, Bills)

and our St. Louis Rams also sit at 0-2 with losses to the Seahawks and Redskins.

Now although some of those teams are not your typical 0-2 teams, most of them have played every bit as bad as the Rams have played this year. So why are most experts putting the Rams as the worst ranked team in the NFL? Quite simply they are going by their judgment at the beginning of the season, in which the Rams were for the most part ranked 31st (ahead of only the Lions). In my opinion, the Lions are still the worst team in the NFL. Until they are able to pull out a win, they are still the worst team in football.

If the Lions had won a game by now however, I still believe the Browns would in fact be the worst team in football. Every time I have turned the channel to a Browns game this year, someone is breaking free for a huge play against them. Whether it is Adrian Peterson racing down the sidelines or Kyle Orton picking apart a zone, they have been aweful in every aspect of the game. The Rams on the other hand, have shown huge strides on defense, leadership, and not giving up in games.

So do not fear all this talk fellow Rams’ fans. The Rams will not go 0-16 this year and the Rams will not be the worst team in the league. Who knows, they may even finish in the middle of the pack. Overall though, it would require a huge step backwards to become the NFL’s worst and I dare anyone to say coach Steve Spagnuolo would allow such a negative progress.