The Los Angeles Rams will take the field one more time on Sunday before their Week 9 bye, facing the 0-7 Bengals in London. This is their easiest matchup of the season and a game they should absolutely win; the spread is 13.5 in favor of Los Angeles.
Admittedly, it’s hard to find anything the Rams should truly worry about in this game, but here are their three biggest concerns entering Sunday’s showdown at Wembley.
Difficult travel schedule
The Rams tried to make the best of a difficult travel schedule, having to go from Los Angeles to Atlanta to London in a span of two weeks. They did so by spending the week in Atlanta, lessening the burden of having to get on another plane back home between Weeks 7 and 8. It should help somewhat, but there’s nothing easy about the traveling they’ve done.
That could have an impact on Sunday’s game, but it’s unlikely. The Rams have gone 6-0 in 1 p.m. ET games on the East Coast since Sean McVay took over, most recently blowing out the Falcons. This game doesn’t count as such a game, but it’s still an early kickoff outside of the Rams’ time zone.
Zac Taylor’s knowledge of Rams’ system
Sean McVay and Wade Phillips both addressed this factor on Thursday, though to varying degrees. McVay made it clear he doesn’t want to get too caught up in the fact that Taylor might know more than another coach, while Phillips said the Rams might have to change things up such as play calls.
They both emphasized the importance of needing to execute and play well, though. On paper, the Rams are a much better team than the Bengals and should win this game easily. But Taylor’s familiarity with McVay’s scheme is an added factor not usually present in Rams games under McVay; this is the first time he’ll face a head coach who was previously on his staff.
Overlooking a bad team
The Rams haven’t fallen victim to this in the past, rarely playing down to their competition under McVay. They typically beat bad teams by wide margins, with the exception of losing to the Buccaneers at home earlier this season. The Rams are one week away from hitting their bye and the midway point in the season, but they can’t afford to overlook the importance of this game.
A loss will not only be embarrassing, but it’ll dramatically hurt their playoff chances. They must enter the bye at 5-3 instead of 4-4 as they try to keep pace with the undefeated 49ers and 5-2 Seahawks. Looking past the Bengals and to the second half of the season would be a colossal mistake.
