Can success for the Rams be anything other than a Super Bowl?

What does success for the Los Angeles Rams look like in 2018? Short of a Super Bowl, it’s hard to think anything else.

The Los Angeles Rams head into the 2018 NFL Draft with a new look defense, a colorful cast full of characters, unprecedented expectations, and a full head of steam where it’s all about winning a Super Bowl or bust.

Did I also mention it’s Sean McVay’s second season?

How about quarterback Jared Goff who still only has 22 regular season starts, a .500 record and one playoff loss?

The upcoming season for the newest edition of the Rams promises a lot, and as the dust has yet to really settle, the next question will be what does success look like in Los Angeles this year?

Is the playoffs enough or is it only about a Super Bowl?

Adding Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, and penalty flag generator Ndamukong Suh promise big things, but yet to be determined is what are those “big things?”

In what is now Year II of the McVay era, Rams General Manager Les Snead has delivered on playmakers for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, banking on the idea that the offense is “good as is.”

Maybe it is.

Next: 3 linebackers for Rams to consider in NFL Draft

The Rams have now quickly ascended into that unfamiliar role of favorite. Both Phillips AND McVay have a very limited margin of error, meaning a slow start is a bad sign, and anything less than 11-5 could be a massive letdown. A first round playoff flameout would be an absolute disaster.

Such is the cost of extending yourself when the expectations are now only sky high.

Failure is no longer an option, meaning five losses is your buffer. Lose one more, and the glaring heat from a white hot media glare can become a scorcher.

McVay is on the hook now. The NFL Coach of the Year has to deliver, and anything less begins to dull the shine of the Rams signature property.

Next: 3 surprise picks in the 2018 NFL Draft

2017 was a lot of good feelz and good times.

2018 has to be better by a lot.

That perception is no longer negotiable.