After going 9-7 last season, the Los Angeles Rams are entering a highly important campaign in 2020. That’s not to say Jared Goff or Sean McVay are on the hot seat, but there’s a lot of pressure on this team to bounce back and make the playoffs.
That’ll be a huge challenge in the competitive NFC West, which boasts four legitimate playoff contenders. It’ll also be difficult after losing a handful of starters on defense, overhauling the coaching staff and still facing lingering questions on the offensive line.
Adam Rank of NFL.com doesn’t see the Rams rebounding next season. Rather, he has them regressing and finishing 7-9. Of those nine losses, two of them come against the Bears and Dolphins, who on paper look like worse teams than the Rams.
Here’s how he has each game going for Los Angeles.
Regarding the matchup with the Dolphins in Week 8, Rank explains why he has the Rams losing that game, saying the momentum is going to catch up to them after starting 4-1, and they’ll lose three straight.
“This is where I feel like the momentum is going to catch up to them. With the bye week looming, I see the Rams kind of just not being able to follow through. I think this Dolphins team is going to be a lot better than people are giving them credit for. So I have them losing three consecutive games heading into the bye week in Week 9,” Rank said.
As a whole, Rank just doesn’t see this Rams team being as good as last year’s, partly because “losing Wade Phillips is a bigger loss than a lot of people are going to be giving them credit for.”
A 7-9 finish would be extremely disappointing for Los Angeles, but given its schedule, a sub-.500 record shouldn’t be ruled out.
