The gritty LA Rams’ October outlook moving forward

So long September. Next up? The gritty LA Rams’ October outlook moving forward

The LA Rams may have suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Buffalo Bills, but from what we saw, there is plenty of reason for optimism.  Combine that with the LA Rams schedule and the team could go into their bye week with a record of 7-1. They have a solid group of running backs, quarterback Jared Goff is throwing the ball very well. And our defense, at times, has shown they can be stout.

This was never going to be a slam dunk year. The Rams hedged on early success with developing young players via on-the-job training.  While the Rams are rather well-seasoned on offense, the defense is a bit on the green side. I know what some readers may be thinking that at this stage of the season, nothing is guaranteed.  Of course, that’s very true and has been that way for each season of the National Football League, but let’s look at the next games on the slate:

Oh October

At 2-1, the LA Rams are in good shape heading into the month of October. So what will this month look like?  With four games, the Rams split the month with two at home and two on the road. Then it’s one last road game before the Rams reach their bye week on November 8, 2020.  From there the Rams will have played one division game, the entire NFC East,  two AFC East teams, and one NFC North team.  The Rams will have played three home games, and five road games (four to the East Coast).  So who is in store for the Rams?

Hosting New York Giants – 10/04
The New York Giants are sitting at 0-3 and there is nothing that suggests they are capable of beating the Rams. They lost their only real threat in running back Saquon Barkley for the season, as reported by Ian Rapoport, and quarterback Daniel Jones is somehow getting worse as the season progresses. This should be an easy bounce-back win for the Rams.

At Washington Football Team – 10/11
Washington is 1-2 and will most likely enter the game 1-3 after facing off with the Baltimore Ravens. According to Nicki Jhabvala, a Washing Football Team reporter, Ron Rivera has called out Dwayne Haskins saying his teammates “deserve better.” So with turmoil within that organization, I expect the better locker room to win this game and for the Rams to sweep the NFC East.

Test the best of the NFC West

At San Francisco 49ers – 10/18
The division opener for the LA Rams may be the toughest game in October. But the San Francisco 49ers have so far been riddled with injuries on the offensive side of the ball and this game can easily turn into a defense-dominated game. The key will be which team can produce in the running game with their running back by committee approach. While neither team has given up 100 rushing yards to a running back, the Rams runners have had more success against opponents thus far.

Hosting Chicago Bears – 10/25
Normally a game in Chicago in late October would be cause for concern for a team from Southern California, but the Rams catch a break and the Bears will be coming to them. Chicago has a formidable defense but their lack of offense should play into the Rams favor. Although quarterback Nick Foles has officially taken the starting role, for now, according to Adam Schefter, we will have to wait and see how well he performs. The Atlanta Falcons allowed the Bears to come back after being up 26-10 halfway through the fourth quarter.

At Miami Dolphins – 11/01
This is absolutely a trap game. I remember when you would see the Miami Dolphins on the schedule and could chalk that up as a win. But with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is also known as “Fitzmagic,” you never know what could happen.  The Rams defense is still in the process of forming, and if the Rams overlook Fitzpatrick and company, they could be in a world of hurt heading into the bye week.

Obviously, best case, the Rams end 7-1 before they get to the tougher part of the schedule. Worst case, they lose to the 49ers, Bears, and Dolphins and will be sitting at 4-4. There are more reasons for optimism than pessimism so far, so look to enter the bye week on an upward trend.