LA Rams cannot afford injuries in 2021 if they hope to win SB LVI

The LA Rams may be one of the more popular teams projected to compete in Super Bowl LVI, but they are by no means a sure thing. Much like the road system in the great State of Alaska, there are ways to get to the most exhilarating and breathtaking sights in the world. but if anything should happen to one single road along the way? Disaster.

The team’s roster is built to win now. But it is built upon the presumption that the team can avoid injuries to players who are critical to the chances of success. And that seems to be a difficult gamble, even for the high stakes LA Rams. You see, this team has a very stratified roster.

Now, I’m not poking at the players that this team has, but there is a significant drop in the quality of play between long-time veteran Matthew Stafford and his presumed backup John Wolford. There is a huge drop in quality between Jalen Ramsey and Dayan Lake.  There is a substantial degradation between Aaron Donald and Greg Gaines.  And the offensive line suffers if the team must replace an injured Andrew Whitworth with backup Joseph Noteboom.

It’s part of the game

It’s not a unique situation for the Rams. Practically every NFL team experiences a drop-off if the backup is forced into a starting role. But the Rams roster is constructed in such a way that the starting stars are among the NFL’s best players, and that forces the finance guys to go cheap on the backups.

While that is not a cause and effect relationship, there most certainly is a correlation that players who sign for less do so because the interest in their services is not generating a higher offer. Ultimately, the Rams organization banks on signing stars, and then developing the talent around those stars to ensure the Rams remain successful.

Not much has been said about the injuries to the LA Rams in 2020, but they were significant. The Rams lost Andrew Whitworth after just eight games. The team lost starting quarterback Jared Goff for the last game of the season. And the team fielded a badly injured Aaron Donald in the divisional round. The team even lost wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, as well.

The Rams faced the Green Bay Packers on the road with an injured Donald, Goff, Whitworth, and no Kupp. The problem is that the Rams’ own coaching staff believed that a partial Donald or Whitworth was better than a healthy backup. That is true for 2021 as well.

The biggest gamble for the LA Rams this season is counting on staying healthy. If they do, they are talented enough to win it all. If they don’t? Well, gamblers know the rest of that story too.