LA Rams fans are begging for something to believe in

Dashed hopes. Disappointing dreams. Sucked into optimistic expectations, only to be tossed back into the scrap heap. LA Rams fans have come to the end of the road, and who can truly blame them? The Rams fans have had to endure the fact that even at SoFi Stadium, unruly visiting fans can swarm and take over the home field for the LA Rams team.

SoFi Stadium is especially susceptible to the Northern California crowds who support the San Francisco 49ers. That’s a particularly harsh reality for Rams fans, who have had to watch in horror as the Rams have tried, and failed to win a game against the Niners for the past eight games.

Frustration does not even scratch the surface of this series. Whether the LA Rams have the advantage in health, record, talent, coaching, or simply the fact that at some point this streak must end, the Rams continue to show up, freeze up, and somehow lose the game in ways that simply befuddle fans.

But by the time the fourth and final quarter arrived? The Rams team, both coaches and players, have consistently appeared to be oblivious to how their opponents had adjusted during intermission.

Of course, there are mitigating circumstances. No team can win if they never have the same starters on the football field. So far this season, the LA Rams have not had the same five offensive linemen start two weeks in a row.

So there’s that.

Give me something to believe in

Perhaps that has added unbearable insult to the disappointing injuries suffered all season long. How many games were robbed from the Rams fans’ hopes of a win after the team played to a halftime lead?

It’s not uncommon, you know. In their push during postseason competition, LA Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford engineered three game-winning drives, two of which were fourth-quarter comebacks to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. So these Rams have paved the road to higher expectations. Now, that super-highway to success is shut down for repairs, and the fans are stuck taking back-country roads that seem to go on forever and lead to nowhere.

While some fans are so frustrated that their demands on social media and in forum discussions are becoming a bit extreme, the majority of fans simply want this team to give them something to believe in. Perhaps it’s an outstanding effort from a young player. Perhaps it’s an unexpected win. It may simply be a game where the Rams can finally play the same five starters on the offensive line, or where the team rallies in the second half of a game.

Turning the corner does not mean winning the remaining games. It can be something small but positive that this team can build something even more positive from next week. Just a simple beachhead of healthy productive positive performances.