The Rams cleared the decks after falling to 4-12 last season, firing Jeff Fisher and bringing in Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history. Wade Phillips is also on board to help the defense reach its full potential.
Will everything come together in Jared Goff's second season? Let's break it down.
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SportsLine
| Projected wins | In playoffs | Win division | Conference | Super Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 2.3% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.04% |
SportsLine doesn't consider the Rams a threat in the NFC West; in fact, their projection comes in at a lower number than that of the 49ers, a team that won just two games in 2016. New coach Sean McVay certainly has a tough task ahead turning around this team.
Vegas
| Win total | Playoffs | Division | Conference | Super Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (U -150) | +750 | 18/1 | 40/1 | 80/1 |
All odds via Westgate.
The books are trying to make some easy money by placing huge numbers on the Rams making some noise in the playoffs, hoping for a steady stream of small bets from glass-half-full bettors. But the lean in the action so far has been on the Under on six wins, showing the Rams don't have many believers in their second season in L.A.
Experts
| |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Record | 3-13 | 5-11 | 4-12 | 7-9 | 4-12 | 4-12 |
| Playoffs? | No | No | No | No | No | No |
John Breech defends his 7-9 prediction:
Even though Jeff Fisher had no idea what he was going with the Rams offense last season, the team still managed to squeeze out four wins thanks to a dominating defense. With new coach Sean McVay now in charge of the offense, I'm fully expecting the Rams to improve on their 2016 numbers, which shouldn't be difficult considering the team ranked dead last in the NFL in total offensive yards.
The Rams also have a September schedule that's pretty friendly, and a 3-0 start definitely isn't out of the question. If that happens, all they have to do is go 4-9 down the stretch, which seems feasible, even for the Rams.
