LA Rams schedule continues trek towards a playoff berth

The LA Rams schedule continue their trek towards a playoff berth through October

The LA Rams schedule is 25 percent completed, and the team is 3-1, but that third win did not come at an easy price. After all, I didn’t say getting through October was going to be easy right? Of course not, especially not in the National Football League, but the Rams found a way to win against the New York Giants on Sunday at home. They have faced three opponents from the NFC East. And they have won all three.

They defeated the Dallas Cowboys at home in the season opener. They won the second game of the season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. And they won the fourth game of the season. Only one remains, and it is the 1-3 Washington Football Team.

Get the brooms ready!

The Rams are looking to complete the sweep of the NFC East by traveling to the east coast to take on The Washington Football Team. While the sweep might not be that impressive because the NFC East is especially weak this season with a combined record of 3-12-1, the wins themselves are considered in the conference and can prove to be valuable come playoff time.

Winning all four games from the same division is particularly difficult, as each team learns to play better from the outcomes of division rivals. Now let’s look at the upcoming game on the road and the two things the Rams need to do to avoid another close game with a far-less talented team, like Washington.

Stretch the field and the defense

Although quarterback Jared Goff completed a season-high of 78% of his passes against the Giants, he also had the lowest yards per attempt this season. The lack of explosive plays forced the Rams to punt four times in the second half with the game tied 10-9. We know that LA Rams head coach Sean McVay loves the misdirection screen game.  Still, his plan to only allow his very expensive quarterback to throw the ball six times further than 10 yards is ludicrous.

The next item the Rams need to do is to stretch the defense sideline to sideline. While the Giants were sensational in playing defense on the perimeter, not all teams will be able to do so.  The Rams have a strong perimeter offense, particularly if they can establish running lanes in the heart of a defense. Being able to spread a defense out because they respect your passing game will surely open up running lanes for the running backs, who also had a very unproductive game.

If LA can do just these two things right moving forward, there is no doubt they will cruise to victory over The Washington Football Team and move to 4-1.