LA Rams: How will the NFC West Division stack up at season’s end?

Courting destiny in southern California

The LA Rams won their first Super Bowl for the city of Los Angeles. Now, getting that second Lombardi could be twice as tough.

In the movie Tin Cup, Kevin Costner’s character Roy McAvoy utters the phrase, “greatness courts failure”. For the LA Rams, a team on the verge of greatness will face more than a few obstacles on the road to a Super Bowl repeat.

The Rams will enter the 2022 season as one of the NFL favorites to win another Lombardi Trophy. While the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen are the latest NFL flavors of the month, head coach Sean McVay will have his team ready for another championship run.

That really is not a daring prediction. Saying the Rams will win another NFC West title is akin to saying the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. With the exception of maybe the Arizona Cardinals, the division simply doesn’t have a team that is expected to go punch-for-punch with the Rams.

If there’s one unknown this year, it’s the question of how much progress Matthew Stafford has made with a full offseason under his belt. and how well will the LA Rams’ restocked offensive line protect him? If he can manage to live up to the expectations that he set by his 2021 play, the Rams will have another special season. Anything less will be viewed as a woeful underachievement.

With the Aaron Donald retirement talk behind them, the loss of OLB  Von Miller doesn’t appear to be a game-changer. While he will be lined up for the Bills on opening night for both teams, more pressure may be on the Buffalo Bills, who will be on the road trying to meet their lofty projections.

So, can the LA Rams repeat as Super Bowl champions? The simple answer is yes, as talent always wins out.

Regular season record: 13-4