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

Reason III: Rams are playing better than .500 football

When the LA Rams finished the 2022 NFL season, it appeared that an army of NFL pundits, insiders, and analysts crawled out from under any and every rock to declare the woes and perilous plummet of the LA Rams. And yet, the LA Rams' climb back to NFL respectability is only being mentioned by a handful of the sharpest NFL analysts. So be it.

Though early in the 2023 NFL season, let's pause and get a grasp of what the Rams seem to be all about this year. Offensively, the LA Rams appear to be an NFL Top-5 offense. In two games, the Rams are averaging over 400 yards per game (Top-3) and better than 26 points per game (Top-10). Keep in mind that one of those games came against the San Francisco 49ers, who boasts an NFL Top-3 defense.

Defensively, the Rams are nearly as impressive, allowing just 272.5 yards per game, which is good enough to be ranked as a Top-6 defense. Points-wise, the Rams allow 21.0 points per game, which is still good enough to be ranked as the 14th stingiest defense in the NFL. But let's add some context. The LA Rams faced the San Francisco 49ers (3rd-ranked NFL offense) and the Seattle Seahawks (5th-ranked NFL offense).

Small sample? Yes. Rams improving? YES

Small sample? Of course it is. But the data proves that this team is beating the odds as well as beating the averages. Unlike the national narratives that this LA Rams team is willing to lose games for strategic advantages in the 2024 NFL Draft selection order, it's blatantly obvious that the LA Rams are getting an incredible jump start to the 2023 NFL season.

Unless you are a die-hard Rams fan, you would struggle to name all starters on this Rams defense, and may struggle to name all starters on the offense. That's just fine with the LA Rams. By the time opposing teams have figured out who they are, they have just fought a very competitive team that has been playing light's out. The Rams record may be 1-1, but the Rams are playing far better than .500 football right now.

And they will likely improve each week.