Sitting at second place in the NFC West, having wins over Arizona and Seattle and breaking .500 after week seven of the NFL season—these are some of the major highlights of the St. Louis Rams’ season thus far. Jeff Fisher and the Rams could not be happier to be 3-3 because the road only looks brighter.
With the addition of monstrous rookie running back Todd Gurley and the defense playing at a high caliber, the Rams could be contending for their first playoff appearance in 11 years.
Although the NFC West franchise is only 3-3, so much more is in store for the squad.
While the offense has struggled to find true weapons, Nick Foles has been effective in distributing the ball evenly amongst receivers. Tight end Jared Cook and wide receiver Tavon Austin, who is known for making breakout plays, have been getting in on the action. I’m not saying Foles is a superstar quarterback, but the Arizona Wildcat graduate can get the job done.
In the past, Fisher’s offenses are not known for having spectacular quarterbacks—Steve McNair, Kerry Collins, Billy Volek or Vince Young, however, training some of the leagues’ top running backs is what Fisher’s offense is known for. Eddie George had tremendous speed and power when Fisher was in Tennessee in the late 1990s, and Chris Johnson had effective agility in the late 2000s.
Now, Gurley has the potential to join the ranks of George and Johnson as one of Fisher’s greats. And why not? He could possibly be one of the Rams’ greats. Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson claimed the running back that most reminded him of himself is Gurley. Maybe Gurley can juice the offense of the Rams to be what they once were in the early 2000s.
On defense, the Rams are reaching near perfection.
In a division with the Legion of Boom and the first-place Arizona Cardinals, from an outsider point of view, St. Louis’ defense faces major adversity and competition. However, offenses have been struggling against the Rams’ defense. Led by linebackers James Laurinatis and Alex Ogletree, who have 45 and 42 total tackles, respectively, the Rams’ defense continues to progress and make turnovers. Already, the defense has forced 11 fumbles and swiped five passes from the offense.
Although the 3-3 record looks promising for the Rams, not everything is good news–questions and concerns still arise for the up-and-coming team.
To truly be a force in the NFC East, the Rams must secure wins against teams at a lower caliber. Back-to-back losses against Washington and Pittsburgh can be potentially harmful to their post-season and possible wildcard resume. Although Gurley is proving to be impressive on offense, the Rams need to find more weapons to distribute the ball in multiple ways. Gurley has 490 rushing yards in three games, while the Rams as a unit only have 970 total yards on offense.
With the Vikings, Bengals and Seahawks being the highlight of their road games for the remainder of the season, the Rams must find a way to win at least six to seven of their last 10 games for a shot at qualifying for the playoffs. While he has not reached post-season play, Fisher seems to have higher hopes and more faith in this St. Louis team.
Adrian Broaddus may be reached at [email protected].
