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Before Rams fans assault my timeline with vitriol and hurtful words, let me just explain.
I do not take much glee in your misfortune. I present this information to the Philadelphia Eagle fan as a way of soothing our tortured souls, not to prance on the heads of a fanbase that expected to get back to the Super Bowl this season. I present the missteps and bewildering failure of the defending NFC champions to my fanbase because, simply put, misery loves company.
Both Philadelphia and L.A. fans are miserable right now. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but here we are. After their humiliating 45-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday Night Football, the Rams fell to 6-5 on the season.
Rams safety Eric Weddle on Lamar Jackson: “We got our faces peeled off”
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) November 26, 2019
Look, Lamar Jackson has tortured virtually everyone he’s faced this year, so it’s not an exclusive club. But while the Rams’ record is one game better than the Eagles’ 5-6, their path to the playoffs is perhaps even more perilous than the Birds’.
They trail the 10-1 49ers in the NFC West by four games and the 9-2 Seahawks by three. The division is out of reach. And while the wild card is still a possibility as the only 6-5 team in the NFC (the Bears, Eagles and Panthers are all 5-6), the Rams trail the 8-3 Vikings by two games. According to Football Outsiders, the Rams now have an 8.6% chance of reaching the postseason, and it can only come as a wild card. The Eagles, on the other hand, have a 26.0% chance of making the playoffs, thanks to the failure of the 6-5 Cowboys to extend their lead in the division.
The difference in the odds between the two teams is also a result of their respective schedules the rest of the way. Here are L.A.’s last five opponents:
- at Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1)
- vs. Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
- at Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
- at San Francisco 49ers (10-1)
- vs. Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1)
The Eagles have:
After last night’s game, newly acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who the Rams gave up two first round picks to acquire, had a little bit of a meltdown.
After the game, Rams CB Jalen Ramsey was being restrained by Rams personnel in the tunnel while shouting at Ravens players and staff going into their locker room. @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/UD7j9R1ycF
— Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) November 26, 2019
If the Eagles have taught us anything this year is that losing breeds unhappiness and discontent.
For the Rams, many of their problems can be traced to the quarterback. Back in August, the team extended Jared Goff with a four-year, $134 million deal. If you think Carson Wentz has had a bad season (and he has), compare his to Goff’s, which has been an unmitigated disaster.
Goff’s QB rating of 80.3 is tied for 31st in the NFL this year with Mason Rudolph, while Wentz’ unimpressive 89.6 is 20th. He has 11 TDs and 12 INTs. His 61.2% completion percentage is 28th .Goff has also not had to deal with the kinds of injuries Wentz has been subjected to, with healthy seasons from Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods and had a healthy Brandin Cooks for the first seven weeks before a concussion knocked him out of Week 8’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He returned to action last night. Goff also has had Todd Gurley in the backfield, although his 4.1 yards per attempt and 54.7 yards per game average indicates he’s lost a step.
Jared Goff threw zero touchdowns in the month of November
— Adam Stites (@AdamStites_) November 26, 2019
Here’s the ultimate kick in the pants for Rams’ fans. They’ve committed to a window of 2019-20 to compete for a Super Bowl.
The #Rams have $95.05 million in cap charges next season for Goff, Donald, Gurley, and Cooks
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) November 26, 2019
Ramsey will also be entering the final year of his deal and one would think the team didn’t give up two first round picks for one of the best cornerbacks in the league to just to let him walk away after a year and a half. How are they going to pay all these guys?
Well, at least they’ll be able to fill in the gaps with good draft pi....
The Rams don't have a first-round pick until 2022.
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) November 26, 2019
Oh.
And suddenly, all that talk about Sean McVay, boy genius, has quieted down a bit, too.
also -- and i'm not saying this to be snide at all -- is sean mcvay still a genius? he always seemed to have good perspective on it, but we were doing the most last year. what do we think of him now?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) November 26, 2019
For all the love showered on Sean McVay in the last couple years... the Rams look like a shell of themselves.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) November 26, 2019
The last 3 NFL Coaches of the Year were Matt Nagy, Sean McVay, and Jason Garrett.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 26, 2019
Maybe it’s a good thing Doug Pederson never won that Coach of the Year award.
So yes, the Eagles have had a bad 2019 season so far. A large chunk of the fanbase as well as a bunch of idiots on TV, including Mike Vick, have turned on Carson Wentz, the skill position players have been decimated by injuries, the coaching staff has failed on multiple levels and the team is under .500 11 games into the season.
But the Eagles are in better shape than the Rams, kids. Los Angeles has clearly had a worse season than the Birds and have less of a chance of turning it around than the Eagles do.
Sorry, L.A.