St. Louis Rams Weekly Roundtable: Rams Crushed in Opener

2. After having already lost quarterback Sam Bradford for the rest of the season, the Rams couldn’t afford to suffer any more serious injuries, but Shaun Hill suffered a quad injury during the first half of the game which might keep him out of the Rams’ next game, and Chris Long suffered an ankle injury that will knock him out for the next two months. With the rest of the NFC West teams all winning their respective opening games, do you believe that this is just meant to be another ‘lost season’ or do the Rams have a chance of competing for a playoff spot?

Dec 8, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (91) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nathan K.: Rarely do teams without a competent quarterback challenge for a spot in the playoffs; particularly if they are in a division with three other 10+ win teams in the more difficult conference. Then again, we are a mere 60 minutes into the 2014 season, so jumping to any conclusions about January outcomes might be a bit of an overreach.

Blaine G.: If the Rams had any chance at a playoff spot, it was gone when Sam Bradford went down in the preseason. With that said, even though this team won’t have much of a shot at the playoffs, I do think they will continue to fight week in and week out. I think last week is something that they want to avoid going forward and the rest of the games that they play are somewhat competitive.

Anthony K.: Honestly, if the Rams were playing in just about any another division, they’d still have a shot at competing for a playoff spot, but the NFC West is just too tough. If they can somehow pull off a couple of upsets before week 4, they could regroup during the early bye week, and perhaps make a run at a wild card spot, but I’ve been down this road as Rams fan two dozen times–and it NEVER ends well. I’d be a lot more excited to see them lose every game, secure the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and have their choice of Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley for quarterback of the future. That would actually benefit the franchise a LOT more than trying to be competitive and winning only seven games for the third season in a row. That’s harsh, but it’s also true.