LA Rams need to be ready for the fight of their season

The LA Rams win one at home, but now HC Sean McVay must prepare the team for perhaps the toughest fight of their entire season

The LA Rams have won a game in the NFL. It was their first game, yes. But it was just a single game. Now, trouble begins.  You see, the trouble with winning in the NFL is that people who once threw shade and harsh criticisms suddenly change course. Suddenly, they sing praises for the team, showering compliments and lofty expectations. Then, after the team fails to live up to those lofty expectations, they rinse and repeat the cycle all over again.

So here we are. The 1-0 LA Rams about to travel east to take on the 0-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Some look at the Eagles loss to the emotionally charged Washington football team and see a wounded and vulnerable team. That really doesn’t fit this scenario from our perspective. We see a team that reeled in game one and looking to get into the win column in game two.

Wentz is tougher competition than Prescott

Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz is wounded right now. And a wounded Wentz is a dangerous quarterback. How dangerous? Well, after he is embarrassed, he typically comes back with a vengeance.  Just check out this tweet to illustrate what I mean.

Of the quarterback draft class of 2016, Carson Wentz may be the most dangerous in this situation. Dak Prescott depends almost entirely upon being surrounded by the best offensive line, the best running game, and the best receivers.  Plop any decent NFL quarterback into that Cowboys offense and you’ll win games.  LA Rams quarterback Jared Goff has had that combination, but the offensive line and the running game fell apart in 2019. Goff’s production suffered, but he still passed for 4,600 yards, third-most in the NFL.  But Wentz can improvise better than either Goff or Prescott. That’s what makes him so dangerous now. The ability to improvise is very tough to defend.

McVay, Staley, O’Connell are the power of three

Rams will be ready. The LA Rams are currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak to the Philadelphia Eagles dating back to 2004.  Since the two teams have been led by Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and Rams head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have lost two consecutive games.

Much like the home opener, the betting line for this contest opened with the LA Rams as a 3.5 point underdog. Of course, after the opener, money is flooding onto the LA Rams right now, and the current line has dropped and now it is the LA Rams who are a 1.0 point favorite.  Unlike last week’s contest, the smart money is only slight on the Rams in this one.

Don’t grow too much courage from the odds in this one. The Eagles loss is likely a significant factor for the influx of money on the Rams.

Injury status

The Rams enter the game healthy. Conversely, the Philadelphia Eagles faced injuries to seven players before their week one contest and may have added two more injuries to the list. Per the last report, the Eagles have placed both DE Vinny Curry and CB Craig James on the Injured Reserve list.  They have added guard Sua Opeta from their practice squad to fill one roster spot.

Curry was very effective in the opener. In just 22 defensive snaps, he recorded three tackles and 0.5 quarterback sacks.  James was active on special teams, and he came up with a fumble recovery.

The LA Rams have an opportunity to start the season 2-0, but only if the coaching staff has a solid game plan and can adapt quickly to the game conditions. We have a lot of ground to cover this week, but this sets up a nice foundation for the game. GO Rams!