Rams-Niners getting bumped from SNF a sign how low NFC West has fallen

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers just aren’t worth a prime-time window in 2018.

A lot of fans on social media were agitated to learn that the 5-0 Los Angeles Rams at 1-4 San Francisco 49ers Sunday night game on October 21 had been bumped in favor of the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs and 4-1 Cincinnati Bengals.

Don’t be.

What looked like a solid match-up when the schedules were rolled out this past spring simply hasn’t materialized. In fact, NBC flexed their audience out of a bad game into one that is exponentially better.

I mean serious? Rams at Niners would have served a small and specific audience while ignoring that San Francisco helps to represent just how far the NFC West has fallen. If not for Los Angeles, the NFL would only draw a faint whisper west of Kansas City.

Don’t be mad fans. The Rams are the OTHER team along with Kansas City that is currently the toast of the league. The fact that the Bengals represent a better opponent to the other undefeated team just means that the Niners are truly that bad.

Bottom line, is that Rams and Niners have ZERO business being in a Sunday evening window when better football with more interesting teams can be had.

Truth is after Week 7, LA has a few opponents that would be better prime-time viewing.

Rams hosting the Green Bay Packers.
Rams at the New Orleans Saints.
Even the Rams at the Chicago Bears could be good if Chicago holds up their end of the bargain and keep winning.

Granted, Los Angeles won’t be the only attractive team NBC will take a look at as the 2018 season winds along.

But the one thing that can be said for sure is that a Rams game against this current 49ers team would have been a bad one. The NFC West just isn’t very good. And while Los Angeles looks to be an easy favorite to win the division and maybe even a Super Bowl, the gap between the Rams and everyone else is significant enough that passing on them and any NFC West foe is a smart decision.