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Can the Undefeated Rams Really Make a Run at 16-0?

Think it was Holt who just recently was quoted on how losing a game can sharpen a team up, how when you are on a long win streak things can get sloppy.

And Merlin I think we have seen a little sloppiness so I would agree with Holt on that point.

The 1984 49ers went 15-1 and won the Superbowl. The 1985 Bears went 15-1 and won the superbowl.

The 15-1 Panthers also made it to the SB two years ago and there have been at least 6 15-1 teams not 3...

I stand corrected.

Grade Today’s Rams Transactions

Rams thus far have been dealing with ongoing injuries @ ER/OLB since this season began.....Og Okoronkwo (PUP/Foot), Matt Longacre (bicep), Morgan Fox (ACL tear), Dom Easley (knee), Matt Longacre (back again) Trevon Young (back).

Rookie Okoronkwo has been very slow to recover from that early surgery on his foot & his status remains unclear. Last week the Rams had only 2 healthy OLB'ers in Samson Ebukam & rookie 7th rd.Justin Lawler. Wade has been using the 6-4 290 lb DL'er John Franklin-Myers as a OLB'er/ER since the season began.

In addition Wade has been utilizing our best inside playmaker Cory Littleton more & more on the outside in order to get an outside pass rush. Sometime getting big runs up the middle against us.

Dante Fowler Jr. is a fully healthy ER/OLB'er that coach Wade & Barry can use NOW!. Rams now can get DF in the main rotation to help Ebukam & give Longacre's back some relief to get healthy.

Rams OL has remained in full health all season. The release of Jamon Brown does not cause any problem @ this time. Brown was to be a UFA in less than 5 months.

NFC Way-Too-Early Playoff Picture

Our Rams take the West of course
Redskins take the East.
Packers or Vikings take the North
Saints win the South
My wildcard predictions are Panthers and Seahawks (both teams are on roll).
The Eagles or the Bears could also slip in but I expect only one team from the North and East get in because the records for those Divisions will be tightly clustered and they will be trading wins form each other in the Division.

Vegas Odds

Personally I thought the opening line was off by a few percentage points and I expected the public to bet the Rams on that line. Basically the money line has moved from 56%, 47.5% with the Saints as favourite to 49%, 54.5% with the Rams as favourites. I think it's a normal line correction rather than a reaction to the Rams trading for Fowler.

Projected Final Win Totals

Personally, I think their total for the Rams during the regular season is 2 too low. I posted transcripts from the top four but the rest can be found here:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...l-win-totals-for-2018-rams-chiefs-riding-high

Now that eight weeks of the 2018 season have passed, we have enough data about the identity and potential of each team to really start sorting out who will be contending in January and who will be picking near the top of the 2019 NFL Draft next spring.

Just as I did before the season began, I've used a model to generate projected final win totals for the 2018 campaign, providing a peek at how things could play out as we head down the final stretch toward the playoffs.

But first, here's a quick look at how my model works.

My model compares this season's games with 15 previous seasons of situational production metrics that led to wins and losses (between 2003 and 2017). Tracking personnel, matchups, play-calling and results from past seasons establishes historical "profiles." The results from the games that have already been played this season are then collected and analyzed in the same way, with the model revealing similarities between the current iteration of each team and its past versions. Then each remaining game is simulated. The reason every game isn't a 50/50 coin flip is because each team has different strengths and weaknesses, and the way they match up against each other has different historical references for "what happened most often." Because there are many different ways the situational aspect of football can play out, it's necessary to run many simulations for each remaining game, to see each of the involved teams' profiles stack up over a range of reasonable situations.

Just how many times is each game simulated? While I might ordinarily go with a figure like 10,000, I decided to up the number to 20,000, including each remaining game in the regular season (there are 135 left).

A quick note: Scoring is obviously up this year compared to past years (we're on track to set a new offensive scoring record). But that change hasn't yet -- and likely won't -- significantly affect the use of historical data, as the most influential production factors (things like turnovers and red-zone efficiency), taken in context of the game situation (think: down, distance, score and time), remain consistent with what we've seen before, in terms of what relates most strongly to the ability to win games.

Below, you'll see the projected final win totals for all 32 teams in the NFL, from highest win totals to lowest.

RANK 1

RAMS: 14.0 wins

Current record: 8-0. Projected playoff percentage: 99.9.

The Rams already ranked first in interior pressure before the addition of Dante Fowler at the trade deadline. Fowler will complement that strength by bringing more perimeter pressure potential and rotational depth. In the 15-season model, teams that won the most games and made the deepest playoff runs followed this blueprint: combining elite defensive front pressure with exceptional production from the offensive backfield. When your approach reduces the likelihood of offensive turnovers and increases the likelihood of causing turnovers on defense, good things happen. The Rams were already elite at both aspects of the game and just got better.

RANK 2
cheifs-logo.jpg

CHIEFS: 12.8 wins


Current record: 7-1. Projected playoff percentage: 99.9.

If they can hold their current pace, the Chiefs will produce the highest rates of offensive diversity and combined efficiency at the running back, tight end and wide receiver positions in my model's history. So far, Kansas City has been able to outpace its defensive inefficiencies. The Chiefs' defense has given up the most big plays per game (9.3), and it's possible that this ineffectiveness, by forcing Patrick Mahomes to learn more offensive plays in high-pressure situations, helped accelerate his learning curve.


RANK 3
patriots-logo.jpg

PATRIOTS: 11.8 wins


Current record: 6-2. Projected playoff percentage: 99.0.

Defensive pressures are increasing. In Weeks 1-4, the Pats ranked 26th; now they're tied with Houston for the 13th-most pressures on the season.

RANK 4
saints-logo.jpg

SAINTS: 11.4 wins


Current record: 6-1. Projected playoff percentage: 91.2.

The next three games (vs. Rams, at Bengals, vs. Eagles) -- combined with the Saints' ability to handle elite pressure on offense (especially interior pressure) and their defense's ability to stop the pass -- will help us sort out just how high New Orleans' ceiling is this season.

Jared had a off day.......

Some of Goff’s throws were elite level condidence throws.

The 20 or so yard TD to Reynolds was a ballsy throw between two defenders where Jared Really ripped the ball with extra velocity.

The deep slants to Woods, same thing. Laser throws with pinpoint accuracy into the teeth of the defense.

Watch how Goff goes quickly goes
progessions, it’s elite level stuff.

The percentage of tight windows Goff throws into is unmatched. They showed a stat on Mahomes and how few tight windows he throws into, i can’t remember the exact stat but it was something like 1/4 of what Goff throws into.

The Goff to Gurley connection is really getting Dangerous.

Todd Gurley's Halloween party. Really. With pics.

i thought gurley dressed up as one of the dancers on michael jackson's BAD video. but i went and had a look and the guy had a japanese type bandanna on his head and a blue jacket. so no.

.

It's a character from that show "Martin" that used to be on Fox 15ish years ago. Someone posted a gif of it in the comments.
Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamSolo29/status/1057459637270720512

Well, that was a humbling experience...

The reason why I like the Rams running the first few downs, even if it's predictable and doesn't net much, is because it lets our OL start the game hitting people

Madden said as much and did this for years. Of course he had 3 HOFs in shell, upshaw, and otto; but Whitworth, Saffold, and Sullivan is nothing to sneeze at. I like the idea of them throwing the first punch.
Not a bad idea. We got away with it against the 9er’s. Don’t like falling behind to talented QB’s like Rodgers and Brees though. Think you have to make TD’s early and often against them.

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