Is this season’s Rams team playing themselves into mediocrity?
Right in the middle is the one location in the NFL where you really don’t want to be. The Los Angeles Rams are exactly where they are at 3-4 after seven games. They aren’t quite good enough to be in the postseason conversation, but they aren’t quite poor enough to be in the conversation for a top-10 choice either. The Rams, mired in the midst, most likely won’t be involved in any trades at the deadline.
The Rams would be the ninth seed in the NFC and would have narrowly missed a postseason berth if the season ended tonight. Also, they would possess the fifteenth overall pick.
Once more, not quite excellent enough to be considered for a top-10 choice but not awful enough to qualify for the playoffs. Under Jeff Fisher, the Rams called this place home. The Rams had the 16th, 13th, 10th, and 15th overall picks following seasons under Fisher’s direction. The Rams traded into the top-10 twice to choose Tavon Austin and quarterback Jared Goff.
The Rams would be playing themselves out of blue-chip talents like tackles Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Joe Alt if they selected the 15th overall pick in the 2024 draft. At this point, they would have no chance to select Drake Maye or Caleb Williams.
This isn’t a case for the Rams to collapse, though. They still have a great deal of power over their own fate. Despite having lost two games that they could have won, they may still qualify for the postseason with nine wins. All four of these teams—the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, and Seattle Seahawks—will probably be fighting for the seventh playoff berth with their remaining games.
Even if that means starting as the seventh seed and facing the second seed, it’s still worthwhile to compete for a postseason berth. That at the very least boosts a young team’s morale and gives them momentum going into the following season. Even brief playoff runs should be celebrated for a franchise that, prior to McVay, missed the postseason for more than a decade.
They will eventually have to accept who they are for this season, though. It’s important to remember that the Chicago Bears in 2022 were 3-4 at this time. Nevertheless, they were able to secure the top overall pick. Though it also provides some context, it doesn’t seem possible that the Rams would suffer the same kind of devastating defeat as the Bears suffered. Right now, the Rams could go either way.
Once more, the Rams will have to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror throughout the next few weeks. Is that during the bye week or following a possible loss to the Cowboys? If they wait too long, they might just propel themselves into the NFL’s mediocrity zone, which is the last place they want to be heading into the “stock up on talent” offseason.