4 reasons why the LA Rams could complete NFC West sweep for Week 3

The LA Rams are at a surprisingly early crossroads to their 2023 NFL season. After two games, the Rams are standing at a record of 1-1, and the Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals can lead to one of two different season trajectories for the team. If the Rams claim a win, their 2023 NFL season aligns very well for a berth in the NFL Playoffs. If the Rams lose, then any aspirations for postseason play becomes all the more difficult.

If you have followed the NFL scores for Week 3, you know that the NFC West is back to the best NFL Division so far. While two games have yet to be played (does anyone really like this new two Monday Night Football Games at a time format), we witnessed the San Francisco 49ers dismantle the visiting New York Giants by a score of 30-13. Not to be outdone, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the visiting Carolina Panthers by a score of 37-27. Finally, the Arizona Cardinals completely shocked the NFL by upsetting the NFL's little darlings from Dallas by upsetting the Cowboys by a score of 28-16.

As a result, before the LA Rams play, the NFC West has seven wins and just four losses. That matches the NFC East Division as the best NFL Division after three weeks of play. Of course, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the LA Rams facing the Cincinnati Bengals, that will change.

Rams are building a strong team out of no-name players

So why talk about NFL playoffs so early in the season? Simple. Early games and rankings matter in the broad picture. Of course, success later in the season is the optimal time for an NFL team to peak, simply because it reflects playing their best football heading into postseason competition. But on all accounts, the Rams are playing pretty good football right now, and much of their team has not yet come online in terms of putting out their peak effort.

The Rams passing game has yet to put up touchdowns as expected. So far, the only receiving touchdown has been that of running back Kyren Williams. The Rams rushing attack has not yet had a true breakout game. But you can see signs of it happening sometime. So far, the Rams pass rush has not yet gotten on track. But there are every more frequent signs that the edge rushers will find their mark soon.

And that is just a small sampling of the close-but-not-there yet aspects of this Rams team. Shouldn't that mean a struggle to win against the desperate Cincinnati Bengals? Perhaps.

But here are three reasons why the LA Rams could complete the NFC West Division sweep in Week 3. See if you agree with them:

4 reasons for an LA Rams road win on MNF

1. Reason IV: Joe Burrow playing when he shouldn't be
2. Reason III: Rams are playing better than .500 football
3. Reason II: A young Rams roster gets better each week.
4. Reason I: The Rams offense has yet to realize it's full potential