Are the Rams a playoff team or a nice story?

As the Los Angeles Rams head into the bye week, their record of 5-2 becomes the source of heavy expectations, making them not just a nice story in 2017, but also a possible playoff team.

The Los Angeles Rams return home from London with a 5-2 overall record, a 2-1 record in the NFC West, and with all manner of expectations including the playoffs. After shutting out the Cardinals in Week 7 33-0, and a successful run before the bye week, LA has become a story NFL pundits are taking a shine to.

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Hey why not.

The Rams have been an underachieving team and division bottom feeder for a good while now, and they haven’t had a winning record in forever. The change from former head coach Jeff Fisher to Sean McVay has been a difference like night into day.

But seven games in, and at 5-2, does not a playoff team make. And if the Rams were to somehow find themselves on the short end of an 0-9 losing streak, how good of a story is one game better than last season?

Every win and close game, as LA’s two losses were, are expectations the Rams won’t be able to walk back from. IF the Rams are playing over their heads, the fall back down the hill would be a long one.

However, this team has a certain feel to it that Rams fans, be them in Los Angeles or St. Louis, haven’t seen in a long time. It’s not just about confidence and winning five times through seven games.

It’s them knowing they have a lot of work to do to get better.

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The Rams getting to the playoffs is still a long ways off, but heading into the bye week, you have to like the trajectory they are on in 2017 and beyond.

It also means those expectations will get heavier each time out.