5 reasons why LA Rams will overcome odds and return to playoffs

The echo chamber effect

The LA Rams just missed the 2019 NFL Playoffs, falling to a 9-7 record in a division where 13-3 and 11-5 launched teams into the post-season competition. Since the Rams did not reach that plateau in 2019, do they simply fade away this season? Are the Rams truly in a spiral downwards, struggling to win half of their games, while other NFL teams that have not had success in the past suddenly spring to the top of the NFL?

Yes, the Ram’s struggled in 2019 on many fronts. But rather than plummet to the NFC West basement, the team held its own in one of the toughest divisions of the NFL. The chorus line of further decline is a circular reference based upon the logic of –  “they got bad due to the decline of these players, and will be worse because those players are gone.”  Let’s not wind up being accused of any homerism here. There are specific reasons why the LA Rams failed to achieve a playoff berth in 2019. We believe those reasons no longer apply to the team in 2020. Those reasons were as follows:

(1)The Rams roster was a series of duct tape plug-n-play players almost out of the gates in 2019. The criteria for starting on the team fell from “the best option” to “are you healthy enough to suit up?”
(2)The Rams special teams play in 2019 plummeted to the bottom third of the NFL. That is not just kicker Greg Zuerlein’s inability to hit from the 40-49 yard range. That included less productive returns, fewer punts inside the 20, and a host of other minor breakdowns.
(3) The offensive line consistency broke down in 2019 due to poor play from original starters, followed by a series of season-ending injuries that devastated the Rams’ ability to move the ball and score points.
(4) The Rams restocked the defensive backfield in mid-season, and pass defense improved dramatically. The Rams did not have a run-stopping thumper at linebacker in 2019.
(5) The Rams were swept by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, but game two of that series was much closer in competition.

So many have pulled the plug on the LA Rams playoff chances for 2020 without any understanding what happed in 2019. Their projections simply do not stand up to the track record of head coach That doesn’t jive with what we know about either the NFL or the LA Rams. So how can we be so certain that the LA Rams are relevant in 2020? Here are five logical reasons why.