After 3 Straight Losses, Rams Are Now Favored to Miss Playoffs
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Updated: April 13, 2020 at 7:46 am EDTPublished:
- Odds favoring the Los Angeles Rams to miss the NFL playoffs
- After a 3-0 start, the Rams have lost three straight games
- They are in third place in the NFC West Division
The Los Angeles Rams were a playoff team the past two seasons. Last season, they went to the Super Bowl.
When the 2019 NFL season got underway, the Rams seemed to be on a familiar path. Things couldn’t have gone any better, record-wise as they opened the campaign 3-0.
The last three weeks, things couldn’t have gone any worse. The Rams have lost three in a row. They gave up 55 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then they lost back-to-back games to division rivals – at Seattle to the 5-1 Seahawks and at home against the 5-0 San Francisco 49ers.
The betting public appears to have lost faith in the Rams, currently listed at -130 to miss the postseason in the updated NFL playoff odds.
Odds LA Rams Make 2019-20 NFL Playoffs
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | EVEN |
| No | -130 |
*Odds taken on 10/16/19
The Rams are even money to make it to the postseason for a third successive year.
Post Super Bowl Blues?
The Rams have played in four Super Bowls – twice as the Los Angeles Rams and twice as the St. Louis Rams. The year after each of their three previous Super Bowl seasons haven’t been great.
They’ve never won the division title the season after making a Super Bowl appearance. Following their Super Bowl 14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams earned a Wild Card playoff spot in 1980. Likewise, the Rams earned a Wild Card place in 2000, the season after beating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34.
Projected playoff probabilities:
After Week 3:@RamsNFL (3-0): 86.6%@dallascowboys (3-0): 71.7%@Eagles (1-2): 38.8%@Lions (2-0-1): 28.4%@Raiders (1-2): 4.1%
After Week 6:
Rams (3-3): 32.1%
Cowboys (3-3): 39.6%
Eagles (3-3): 59.9%
Lions (2-2-1): 18.0%
Raiders (3-2): 20.1%— John Ewing (@johnewing) October 15, 2019
They missed the playoffs in 2002, the year after their first Super Bowl setback at the hands of the New England Patriots, posting a 7-9 slate.
Then there’s the NFC-loser Super Bowl curse. Only one NFC team has made it back to the Super Bowl the season after suffering a Super Bowl loss. That was the 1971 Dallas Cowboys.
Since then, 21 NFC Super Bowl losers have failed to make successive trips to the big game.
Injuries A Factor
The Rams are an injury-riddled bunch, and some key players are on the sidelines.
Running back Todd Gurley missed practice again on Wednesday due to a quad issue. Cornerback Aqib Talib (ribs) was placed on injured reserve. Starting left guard Joseph Noteboom’s season was ended when he tore his ACL and MCL. Safety John Johnson is seeking a second opinion to determine the cause of a persistent shoulder problem.
This is a MASSIVE loss for the #Rams defense.
In 8 games without Talib last year: 65.7% completion rate, 299.8 yards per game, 2.88 passing TDs per game. https://t.co/7cel5Lrdry
— Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL) October 14, 2019
Starting inside linebacker Micah Kiser was lost for the year in the preseason with a torn pectoral muscle. Clay Matthews suffered a broken jaw in the loss to Seattle.
The Rams ranked among the top-four healthiest teams in the NFL in each of the previous three seasons according to data compiled by Football Outsiders.
Will Ramsey Be A Difference Maker?
There’s no doubt that All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, acquired Tuesday from the Jacksonville Jaguars, is a world-class talent. But he alone can’t fix all that ails this team.
The lack of depth along the offensive line and at linebacker is impacting the Rams significantly. There’s also the Jekyll-Hyde nature of this team’s personality to consider.
Will Jalen Ramsey lead the Rams back to the playoffs?
"Until you protect your starting QB, it’s tough to win games in this league… I would lay the price on the no — that the Rams are on the outside looking in on the postseason.” — @ToddFuhrman pic.twitter.com/myHEGy6QnB
— Bear Bets Podcast (@BearBetsPod) October 16, 2019
One week the Rams look like world beaters. The next week, they look like they’d struggle to beat a CFL team.
The Rams still have to play the Seahawks and 49ers again, as well as the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys.
They’ll likely need to go 7-3 the rest of the way to grab a playoff shot.
Pick: No (-130)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
