LA Rams Christmas wish list for Santa Claus

What three gifts would you place on Santa’s list for the LA Rams this year? Here are our top three for the wish list

The LA Rams are not out of the running in the NFC by a long shot. In fact, by sheer randomness, the LA Rams could yet emerge as the best team in the NFC and claim the top seed for the upcoming playoffs. And yet, the team’s pattern of two wins to one loss seems to have an unusual effect of attracting a host of tepid fans to jump onto the team’s bandwagon, only to find them scrambling back to a safe distance after the next horrifying loss.

For the rest of us, this roller coaster ride is fun at the apex. But when the Rams roar in another descent, the same questions of ‘how low will they go?’ become fatiguing and monotonous. That leads us to here: Christmas Eve 2020. It is the moment of the year where we were firm-coded as children to make wishes that can come true. It’s the time of love and generosity, where we come to expect some indulgences to bring laughter and mirth to our otherwise predictable lives.

Standing here in this moment, what if we wanted to make up a Christmas wish list, not for presents for ourselves, but for the LA Rams? What would you wish for the LA Rams this Christmas if you had the undivided attention of Kris Kringle himself?  Here are our top three wishes:

Wish III: Heroic come-from-behind victory for QB Goff

The LA Rams fall into a horribly predictable pattern if this team falls behind early in a game. Suddenly the Rams go into a pass-only mode. We’ve talked about the nebulous reasoning behind that very frequent pattern in this Rams offense, but until now we’ve lobbied pretty hard for the Rams to simply commit to running the ball more in those situations.

What if the Rams blocked better but instead of trying to run more, Jared Goff suddenly starts slinging the ball downfield for completions? Wouldn’t it just warm the cockles of your heart to witness the LA Rams comeback in a game on the arm of Goff? No penalties calling it back. No in and out of the hands of an open receiver?  A full-fledged come from behind victory for the Rams?  That would not only be incredible to see but would have a tremendous benefit to this team’s mindset heading into the playoffs.

Wish II: Rams defense gets a shutout

The LA Rams have been playing some excellent football. But whether an ill-timed turnover, one play that everyone wants back, or simply looking for the offense to do things differently, they have yet to hold their opponents scoreless. They’ve gotten close several times. The Rams held the New England Patriots to just three points. The Rams held the New York Giants to just three field goals for nine points. And the Rams held Washington to just one touchdown and one field goal in the first half of play.

The Rams defense has been outstanding this year. They are the toughest defense to move the football against and are a top-three NFL defense to score against. So far this year, the Rams defense has been ‘close but no weo‘ and that’s not likely to change. That’s why we happily burn a valued Christmas wish for this one. The Rams defense, and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, have done an amazing job so far this year. A shutout would be the icing on the cake.

Wish I: An NFL Championship

Of course, there are 32 NFL teams that are all asking for this one. But wouldn’t it be amazing if the sometimes flawless, sometimes flawed LA Rams get hot at the right time of the year? And to be honest, the Rams have yet to put together a perfect game. So far this season, the LA Rams defense has been doing a large part of the heavy lifting. While the Rams have been able to run rather effectively this year, the only time that was truly featured was the game against the New England Patriots.

If the Rams find that rhythm of run-pass to complement their elite defense, this team can make a deep playoff run. And the team’s field goal kicking duties seem to be in good hands now with third-times-the-charm kicker Matt Gay.  So that simply means that these Rams need to realize their full capabilities.

The Rams have a chance to do something incredible this year. I for one would love to see them accomplish exactly that. The LA Lakers have won the NBA Championship. The LA Dodgers have won the MLB World Series. What a historic event it would be if the LA Rams added a Super Bowl victory to the Los Angeles trophy case.