According to reports, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has told the St. Louis Rams there will not be a team moving to Los Angeles for the 2015 season.
So exhale St. Louis fans. Let’s gaze into the crystal ball and peek at the 2015 Rams opponents and try to figure out if this team can break a playoff drought that goes back to 2004.
The 2015 opponents that are known right now:
HOME: Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh.
ROAD: Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona, Green Bay, Minnesota, Baltimore, Cincinnati.
Two opponents are yet to be determined, based on order of finish this season. The Rams will host the NFC South same place finisher. Currently, the Rams (6-8) are last in the NFC West but could theoretically catch San Francisco (7-7). Tampa Bay (2-12) is entrenched in last place in the NFC South and is guaranteed to finish there so the Rams hosting Tampa Bay is the most likely scenario. The other road opponent will be the NFC East same place finisher. A trip to Washington appears likely but there is a chance it could be the New York Giants.
Any schedule that includes six games against other members of the toughest division in the NFL is formidable. The NFC West is arguably the best division, top to bottom. Will it be next year? Odds are it will be very tough again. If the Rams go 3-3 against their division rivals (which may be a generous goal), they would need to win at least seven of ten non-divisional games. And even then, a 10-win season doesn’t guarantee a playoff berth. Arizona found that out the hard way last year.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume ten wins gets them in. Also, there is talk of an expanded playoff format as soon as next year but that’s another story for another day. So where would those ten wins come from? Frankly, there isn’t a game on the home schedule that the Rams shouldn’t be either favored or certainly have a good shot at winning. Detroit is good but they are a pretty average road team. Chicago is a mess right now. Cleveland and Pittsburgh could potentially be rough and tumble games but are certainly winnable games at home. Win two of three home games against the division and four of five home games outside the division. There’s six wins.
The road is a different story. Winning at all on the road in division is very difficult to do in the NFC West. One win there is a realistic possibility. That leaves three wins needed out of the five remaining non-division road games. Green Bay? No. Just, no. I don’t care if it’s early in the season when the weather is good or late in the season when the tundra is frozen and there’s 18 inches of snow, the Rams won’t win in Green Bay. That gets us down to needing to win three out of four against Minnesota, Baltimore, Cincinnati and (likely) Washington. Very tough to do. Minnesota and Washington are certainly winnable. Sneak in a win against the Bengals on a last second field goal and your 2015 Rams go 10-6.
A lot will change between now and next September. Who will the quarterback be? Sam Bradford? Kurt Warner isn’t planning to come out of retirement so the QB situation definitely will be the biggest question mark heading into next season. IF the defensive front and secondary continue to mature and come together, IF the quarterback slot is solidified, IF Tre Mason can follow up a solid rookie campaign with an even better 2015 and IF the young wide receiver corps continues to grow more consistent, 2015 could be a fun season. That’s a lot of ifs.
One “if” we no longer have to worry about is where the team will be in 2015. They will be the St. Louis Rams. And 2015 could be a special season indeed.
