Can we stop including the Rams when we talk about the top teams in the NFL? Every year is going to be the year they make the leap. Every week is going to be the week where they put it all together. It’s never going to happen. In the words of Bill Parcells “You are what your record says you are”and the fact of the matter is, the Rams are average. They have been nothing but average since Jeff Fisher took over. 24-32-1 to be exact. They have regressed every year winning 7, 7, and 6 in Fisher’s three full seasons. This year is no different, as they stand at 4-5 after yesterday’s inexplicable blowout loss to the Chicago Bears. So what is the problem?
I believe the problem comes right from the top. Jeff Fisher is not an elite NFL head coach, and is below average at motivating his players. He would rather troll opponents than game plan for them. Rex Ryan received a ton of grief this week, but the players also made an effort. The Bills were inspired in Thursday night’s victory over the Jets. The Rams, as usual, came out flat. It’s a trend that shows no sign of stopping. It’s the same story over and over again. The Rams play to the level of their competition, and it’s obvious that they read their press clippings and think they can just show up and dominate because their opponent is inferior. The fact that it’s been happening for years is an indictment of Fisher as a Head Coach.
Yesterday was not an isolated incident. Two of the Rams four wins were games they were expected to lose. They beat the defending NFC Champion Seahawks week one and all the talk was that the Rams would be the team to beat in the NFC West this year. They followed that up by getting smoked at Washington, amassing only 213 total yards. After a loss to Pittsburgh (where they were also flat) they beat Arizona on the road and the talk of the Rams started again. Consecutive wins after their bye week had them at 4-3 and ready for a showdown at Minnesota vs the upstart Vikings. The Rams played a competitive game on the road, and came up a little short, but with games against the hapless Bears and the 2 win Ravens on the horizon, things would turn quickly. But they didn’t. The Rams scored on their opening possession and figured the game was in the bad. The vaunted defense gave up touchdowns of 87 and 83 yards. Both were plagued by poor angles and poor tackling, the sign of an undisciplined team. If they have some pride they will beat Baltimore this week, but I would rather bet them the week after, at Cincinnati, because games against winning teams are the only games Fisher cares about.
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The Cardinals now have a stranglehold on the NFC West after last night’s 39-32 victory in Seattle. The Seahawks vaunted home field advantage is now officially a thing of the past, as the “12th man” was turning on their team when they were down 22-7 at halftime. The Cardinals had the perfect game plan, and controlled the game, dominating time of possession 38:52 to 21:08. Seattle also continues to have terrible game plans. Marshawn Lynch only had 8 carries last night, his last coming with 8:36 to go. That play was followed up by five consecutive passes and then a punt. Arizona scored on the next possession and the game was in the bag. Seattle is now 4-5 and in 10th place in the NFC. Their scheduled does them no favors wither, with games against Pittsburgh and Minnesota coming up in the next couple of weeks.
The Giants almost did it again yesterday. I continue to be baffled as to how an average team (at best) always beats the Patriots. Tom Brady looks unstoppable against every team in the league, and then morphs into Joe Flacco when he plays the Giants. Everybody is talking about Beckham’s non-catch with 2 minutes to go, but the three plays that really cost the Giants were the Gronkowski 76 yard touchdown, Landon Collins not catching Brady’s air ball, and letting the Pats convert on 4th and 10 with 1:28 to go. You have to cover the sticks on that route. By dropping back to 12 yards, it was an easy pitch and catch to Amendola. Play the sticks, and make Brady throw it over your head. The Pats lost another cog when Julian Edelman broke his ankle, but they will press on. They get Buffalo next Monday night.
The Giants, meanwhile, have a week off at 5-5 before heading to the nation’s capital for a game for first place in the NFC East. The Redskins are now 4-1 at home and scored the most points they have in ten years in a 47-14 win over New Orleans yesterday. Kirk Cousins had four touchdown passes and a perfect quarterback rating in the win. The Skins also rushed for 225 yards as the offense clicked on all cylinders. Can’t get too excited yet, though, since the Saints are the worst defense in the league and it’s not even close. They are allowing 31.5 points per game, last in the NFL. The Redskins travel to Carolina next week, to take on the 9-0 Panthers.
There’s a new king of the NFC North, as the Minnesota Vikings are now 7-2 after their 30-14 win in Oakland yesterday. The Vikes can cement their status this weekend, with a huge showdown against the Packers. Green Bay has their own problems, and an excellent recap of the Packers’ struggles can be read in our SFTB post by Trevor Utley.
Finally, congratulations to Peyton Manning on breaking Brett Favre’s career passing mark. Now take a seat. That’s what happened yesterday in Denver, and with the news breaking this morning that Manning has a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, he could be out a while. The injury at least explains his terrible, four interception game yesterday but it’s clear that Manning is no longer the player he was in the past. Denver can only hope hope that with some rest he can contribute later in the season, because with Brock Osweiler under center, the Broncos are in trouble. Their schedule is also not favorable in the coming weeks. Chicago, New England, San Diego, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and San Diego again are their final seven games. Other than the Bears, will they be favored in any of those games? I think not. The AFC West, long thought to be locked up, is suddenly in play if the Chiefs or Raiders can get hot.