The St. Louis Rams winning the NFC West?
It’s fair to say that such an idea would fall on deaf ears among even the football-watching masses. Most consider the Rams as the third wheel to the divisional party hosted by the 49ers and Seahawks. The prevailing thought is that San Francisco and Seattle are simply too entrenched at the top without a legitimate challenger in sight.
And that’s exactly why the Rams should—and most certainly do—have the utmost confidence in their ability to secure this division crown. They have no qualms about sitting in the background and asserting their might when people least expect it.
St. Louis owned the best record against NFC West opponents in 2012, going 4-1-1. Jeff Fisher’s squad swept the Cardinals in short order and went toe-to-toe with the presumably superior 49ers and Seahawks without even batting an eye. The Rams tenacious, hard-nosed defense held those powerful multi-faceted offenses to 20 or fewer points three times, and the team itself was outscored by just four points combined.
But that was last season. After producing a top-three draft class and picking up some marquee free agents, the Rams are even more primed to eliminate the schoolyard bullies. The days of getting picked last in dodge ball are set to expire.
First-round pick Tavon Austin is without a doubt the most dynamic offensive weapon emerging from this year’s draft. No single rookie will create as great an impact as Austin will for St. Louis. He’ll challenge the dominant San Francisco and Seattle defenses underneath, sideline-to-sideline and downfield with his speed, elusiveness and sheer game-breaking ability. The Rams will line him up in the backfield, out wide, in the slot and any place where he can utilize his skill set in space.
In addition to Austin, the Rams feature loads of talent on offense. Chris Givens brings another speed and downfield element, while Austin Pettis and Brian Quick work to gain the upper hand on defensive backs with their length and leaping ability.
The offseason pickup of left tackle Jake Long filled an obvious need. Signing Jared Cook, on the other hand, went far too unnoticed. This supremely athletic tight end will give fits to opposing linebackers and safeties all year long. He may end up being the Rams leading receiver.
Defensively, this team is completely stout up front and at cornerback with sack-happy and turnover-causing playmakers. Chris Long and Robert Quinn will aim for consecutive double-digit sack campaigns. Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins, for their part, plan on taking multiple interceptions to the house from certain ESPY-nominated quarterbacks.
The Rams personnel-wise are strong at most positions. An unproven corps of safeties and running backs are notable weaknesses, and one could also make the case that the most important position is on tenuous grounds with Sam Bradford quarterbacking the offense. Yet, there are simply too many weapons at Bradford’s disposal for him not to take the next step in his development.
He and his St. Louis brethren are sufficiently equipped to take down the 49ers and Seahawks with both players and a head coach that won’t back down. The Rams certainly have more holes, but sometimes the mentality of not wanting to get picked on anymore is enough to overcome positional deficiencies.
However, one of the least cited factors dictating the Rams chances of winning the NFC West is their 2013 schedule. After a certain victory at home over the improved, but inferior Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, four out of the next five games could very well make or break their season.
They play consecutive road matches against the Super Bowl-contending Falcons and overlooked Cowboys, followed by a hotly contested battle with the 49ers on just four days rest the following Thursday night. Another road test comes two weeks later against a powerhouse Texans squad.
If the Rams win three of these difficult matchups and start the season off at 5-1 (including a sure-fire win over the lowly Jaguars), their path towards a division title becomes much easier. Their schedule the rest of the way is entirely more manageable.
But if they don’t, and find themselves at 2-4 or even 1-5, attaining a .500 mark could end up being the most favorable result to their 2013 campaign.
That said, the latter development will not materialize—at least according to the logical reasoning of our minds.
The combination of playing outside the spotlight, featuring game-breaking talent on both sides of the ball, having a head coach who always confounds the opposition with sophisticated game plans and embracing an underdog mentality will put the St. Louis Rams in position to secure bragging rights in the NFC West.
There sure are a lot of moving parts, but this conclusion is more than any old hypothetical musing.
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