3 reasons why the LA Rams can win Divisional Round vs. Buccaneers

Reason I: Rams have an emotional edge

The LA Rams are not just here for a participation award. Even as some have poo-pooed the Rams as a team without passion, too soft, not enough desire, this team is a hotbed of smoldering rage and passion. This is a team that has been close every year, but not the best. Successful enough to be in the mix, but never good enough to win it all.

It was the aftermath of the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs one year ago that set the stage for the LA Rams 2021 NFL Season. A sore and defeated Aaron Donald sat after the LA Rams had just lost to the Green Bay Packers, feeling the pain throughout his chest from a rib injury that he suffered the week before. It was at that moment that the emotions got the best of him. His best, well the best of a defensive playing with broken ribs, was not enough to stop the Packers.

How many more chances would the Rams have in his career? He faced those doubts alone and cold and in pain.

But he would not face those thoughts alone for long. The LA Rams coaching staff and front office sprang into action. Over the course of the next ten months, the team traded for a new talented veteran quarterback, a playoff-caliber running back, a Super Bowl-winning outside linebacker, and even signed a very talented and success-starving wide receiver.

The moves did more than improve the roster. It gave veterans like DL Aaron Donald, DB Jalen Ramsey, and soon-to-retire OT Andrew Whitworth something to believe in. The organization was not about to sit back and squander the best years of some of the NFL’s most talented players. That exhibited loyalty from the organization. Now, the players have a chance to reciprocate, and you can bet that they won’t let the team, their coaches, and their teammates down.