Time to celebrate the LA Rams trending in the right direction now

What does trending in the right direction mean?

The confusion among many right now is their insistence upon comparing the Super Bowl-winning LA Rams to the performance that they are witnessing on the football field right now. But that’s about as much of apples to oranges comparison as you can get.

The path to the Super Bowl victory during the 2021 NFL season was not an instant plateau of great play. The Rams lost five games in 2021, and during that time many fans were adamant on social media that the team needed to fire defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, that the offense was too soft, and that the Rams may not earn a playoff berth.

Well, we know that the team regrouped and put on one helluva finale to a hard-fought season. The Rams faced inconceivable adversity last year, but much of those challenges came at the mid-season mark. This year? The Rams are facing adversity early. Just like in 2021, the Rams will need some time to adjust to the unusually high frequency of injuries.

Injuries and adversity

To be more accurate, we’ll need to compare the LA Rams after three games in 2021 to the same after three games in 2022.

But let’s caveat that for a moment. This is not the same LA Rams team that won nine of their last ten games in 2021. Truth be told, this is not even the same team that opened the season against the Buffalo Bills.  The LA Rams have been reconstructing the roster at a frantic pace. The Rams’ two units that have been the hardest hit are also the two units that need the most continuity: The Rams offensive line (3 significant injuries) and the Rams defensive secondary (4 significant injuries).

The Rams have continued to win, in spite of the injuries. In short summary, two of the most important groups on the team are learning how to play together via on-the-job training. That’s not bad considering the Rams have one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL.