Morning links: Are Rams Super Bowl contenders?

Rams trying to return to the big game after missing playoffs last season
Morning links: Are Rams Super Bowl contenders?
Morning links: Are Rams Super Bowl contenders? /

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated offers 12 teams he believes are Super Bowl contenders heading into the 2020 season. The Rams are not one of them. Those teams include the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints, the Seattle Seahawks, the Baltimore Ravens, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills.

My take: Even though they appeared in the Super Bowl just two years ago, I’m not surprised the Los Angeles Rams are not included on this list. The Rams play in the best division in football, the NFC West, making their path to the playoffs much more difficult. And they made major changes in the coaching staff and personnel on both sides of the ball this offseason, which could create some uncertainty as Sean McVay tries to figure out what works best early on. However, Vincent Verhei of Football Outsiders believes the Rams could be playoff contenders.

David Carr of the NFL Network ranked the Rams’ dynamic duo of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp No. 2 on his list of the top five receiver Duos in the league. Carr: “This pick might surprise some folks, but if you were paying attention last season, you knew just how productive this pair was in Sean McVay's offense. Woods and Kupp ranked third in receiving yards among WR duos in 2019, and I don't see their production dropping off as long as their wizard-like coach is working his magic.”

My take: Maybe a little higher than I would have had them, but I definitely agree with Carr’s assessment. Woods and Kupp are among the top five receiver duos in the league, and I believe they tend to get overlooked because they both seem to have laid-back personalities.

Sosa Kremenjas of Pro Football Focus makes the case for five underrated players in fantasy football this season, and Rams tight end Gerald Everett is on the list. He points to Everett’s solid production the first half of the 2019 season, which slipped the second half of the year due to a nagging injury.

My take: McVay ran two tight-end sets over 30 percent of the time the second half of last year, and Everett is one of the Rams’ explosive playmakers, so it’s certainly possible he becomes a more featured staple of the offense. But I believe running backs like Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson will get more touches in the passing game, eating away at targets to tight ends like Everett.

Nick Shook of Net Gen Sports gives us the 10 best-performing NFL offensive lines by expected rushing yards – how many rushing yards a ball-carrier expects to gain on a given carry based on the relative location, speed and direction of blockers and defenders. Surprisingly, the Rams finished No. 9 on this list for 2019.

My take: This statistic bodes well for a Rams’ offensive line that should be healthier and will lean on a running backs group that includes veteran Malcolm Brown, along with rookie Cam Akers and second-year pro Darrell Henderson.

Neal Leitberg of the Los Angeles Times reports that former Rams running back Todd Gurley listed his Chatworth home in the San Fernando Valley for $2.3 million

My take: Gurley’s home includes a pool with a waterfall and basketball half-court. Nice home if you can afford it. 


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Eric D. Williams
ERIC D. WILLIAMS

Eric D. Williams covers the Rams for Sports Illustrated. He worked for seven seasons covering the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN.com, and before that served as the beat reporter covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune.