Their record may not suggest it, but the Los Angeles Rams are one of the most well-respected football teams in North America. While they may not always have the most talent-laden roster, Sean McVay and Co. have often put their teams into a good position to win.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports thinks that will be true if the Rams make the playoffs, specifically if it is against the Detroit Lions.
Rams Named One Team The Lions Won’t Want to See
“The one team I wouldn’t want to get to the playoffs if I was the Lions is the Rams. I don’t want the Rams winning the NFC West. I don’t want Matthew Stafford coming back again. He almost got him last year in the playoffs. He almost got him in Week 1. I don’t want the third time to be a charm for Matthew Stafford.”
Florio is referring to the Wild Card playoff game that came down to the final drive but ended with a Lions 24-23 victory and the Week 1 rematch that went to overtime, resulting in a 26-20 Lions win.
Since those games, the team’s results have looked very different. The Lions have essentially cruised to an impressive 9-1 record, while the battered and bruised Rams have struggled to get to .500 all season.
Florio’s co-host, Tony Dungy stopped short of anointing the Rams as the “Lion Slayer” but did point out that when teams are more familiar with one another, the games are harder to predict. He was largely referring to the NFC North which is entirely made up of potential playoff teams. But given the recent history between the two teams, it has the feel of a divisional rivalry game.
They will have their next play the 8-2 Philadelphia Eagles. Florio’s prediction is predicated on LA making the playoffs. Sitting at 5-5, the NFL gives the Rams a 16 percent chance of making the playoffs. If they beat the Eagles that will increase to 24 percent. But if they lose it drops to just 9 percent.
