Will the LA Rams play spoiler vs the Chargers and the Seahawks?

The LA Rams may not have a good record, but this is still a good team. Sure, 5-10 may not strike fear or even a great deal of respect into the hearts of their future opponents, the LA Chargers or the Seattle Seahawks, but the Rams are 2-1 right now, the offensive line is starting to stabilize, and the team is getting redhot production out of newly signed quarterback Baker Mayfield.

And the worst part of it all? LA Rams head coach Sean McVay is playing with house money. That is, he is under zero pressure in the final two games to win, so he and the team are having fun simply playing the game that they love. Come to think of it, that is about the time when the Rams began to win once more.

From a bare-headed headbutting quarterback to a bare-knuckled fracas after the game is over, the Rams have suddenly gone from NASA engineers to dock workers in their approach to the game. The Rams are no longer the crisp and easygoing group. Suddenly, this is a team that is happy with the work, knows the season ends in just two games and is going out in a spectacular burst of leaving it all on the field.

For the love of the sport, and the LA Rams

And suddenly, those boffos, miscues, and errors have evaporated against the heat of players whose passions for football are not getting paid, but getting the chance to play.  Perhaps that is the fun of the LA Rams right now. For much of the healthy roster and particularly the guys who are suiting up and competing right now, this is not a cast of NFL superstars who are earning great amounts of money.

These players are at the other end of the NFL spectrum, the men who seldom have their names in headlines, the backbone of the sport that generates billions both for the sport and in the wagers that are placed as a result of the sport.

If you wanted to strip away the commercialization and the hype from the NFL, and sit back and enjoy the sport simply out of respect and love for the game, the rich history, and the players who risk so much to compete, then you are in luck. These LA Rams are as close to the Rams of yesteryear as you will likely see. And the Rams schedule has just two more games to play.

Spoiler? Perhaps if you are cheering for the Chargers or the Seahawks. For Rams fans, it’s a chance for a bit of vindication.  This is suddenly a far more dangerous team. It’s not because the Rams are a more talented team now. It’s not because this is a more prepared team now. The LA Rams have embraced the possibility of losing.

And this team has seen more than its share of that. So right now, they no longer care. They just want to play football.