Rams named surprise Super Bowl contender by former NFL QB

The Los Angeles Rams looked dead in the water after starting the season 1-4. In fact, it felt as though they'd surely be sellers at the deadline and turn the chapter toward officially rebuilding. Well, then something funny happened: The Rams won three straight games and now sit at 4-4.

Normally a 4-4 record wouldn't have anyone jumping for joy but this has been a strange NFL season. The only truly terrifying team in the NFC right now is the Detroit Lions but otherwise, it's wide open. Anything can happen in the playoffs so just getting to the dance means you can go the mile if everything breaks your way.

Another reason a 4-4 record bodes well for the Rams is that the NFC West is a tight race between all four teams in the division. The Rams and defending NFC champion 49ers are 4-4 while the Cardinals are leading the way at 5-4 with the Seahawks at 4-5. Wide open.

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky not only voiced the sentiments of the Rams now morphing into a playoff contender, he thinks they could be a Super Bowl contender as well. "I think if the Rams stay healthy, they win that division and they can beat anybody in that conference," Orlovsky said on Tuesday's edition of NFL Live.

Rams have flipped their season around and now could be Super Bowl contenders

Rams fans just saw this team come back from a mid-season record of 3-6 to finishing with eight straight wins and making it into the NFC playoffs as a wild card. From there, the Rams unfortunately lost to the Lions in the wild card round but it was a close game that came down to the wire.

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Orlovsky's take is a smart one because the Rams are well-coached, they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, a great receiver group, and a young defense on the rise. The reason they're 4-4 is that they were decimated with injuries early in the season. Now they're starting to get healthy and we've seen how lethal they can be.

We still have nine weeks of regular-season games taking place so there's a long way for the Rams to go. Right now though, it's hard to scoff at what Orlovsky's saying. The Rams are trending in the right direction and sometimes all it takes is getting hot at the perfect time.