Getty Robert Woods tries to escape a tackle as Rams teammate Van Jefferson looks on during the Rams' 28-16 loss to the Titans on Sunday, November 7.
Are the Los Angeles Rams still championship material at the midway point of the NFL season?
Even despite falling to the Tennessee Titans that dropped their record to 7-2 and to second place in the NFC West standings?
Bleacher Report NFL columnist Maurice Moton addressed the Rams’ chances in his latest “NFL Playoff Predictions at the Midseason Mark” column released on the morning of Tuesday, November 9.
Good news for members of the “Rams House:” Moton is still high on the Rams despite the Sunday Night Football debacle. But does it mean he’s predicting the teams’ second Vince Lombardi Trophy winning season? Here’s what he said in order.
Divisional Round Prediction: Rematch of 2020 Playoff Matchup
First off, Moton and B/R have the Rams taking a first round bye.
That means…he and the national outlet have the Rams at 14-3 overall and securing the NFC’s best record when it’s all said and done.
And who awaits the Rams in their prediction? The team that knocked the Rams out of the NFC playoffs in January 2021: The Green Bay Packers.
The Packers not only ended the Rams’ season with a 32-18 home win, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to make plays facing heavy pressure, including this one inside his own end zone:
This time the Packers, the No. 4 seed as Moton predicts, end up hosting the Arizona Cardinals to start — meaning he and B/R believe the current 8-1 Cardinals will go 5-3 the rest of the way and lose out on winning the division, prompting the predicted road trip to Lambeau Field in the wildcard round.
After the Pack surpasses the Cards 30-24 as Moton predicts, Green Bay heads to SoFi Stadium. And Moton predicts this:
“In a quest to reach a third consecutive NFC Championship Game, Green Bay runs into a roadblock. The Los Angeles Rams are equipped to defend the Packers’ top offensive playmakers,” Moton writes.
And, “quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense shouldn’t have an issue scoring touchdowns on a defense that ranks 31st in red-zone scoring.”
The pick: Rams 32, Packers 27. Rams host NFC title game.
NFC Championship Game Pick: Rematch of Week 3 Meeting
Perhaps the “bone” jerseys come out for this one. Because the team Moton and B/R has coming to the “Rams House?” The team that fell to the Rams when they wore the “bone” look: The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Yes, Tom Brady and company reappear in a conference title game. Shocking, right?
But in this case, what’s not shocking is the conference’s two best teams squaring off as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds — plus this being a rematch of the Week 3 meeting won by the Rams 34-24. What does Moton say for this one?
“The Rams are one of the few teams that can match the Buccaneers’ offensive firepower and make critical stops to limit Tom Brady and his playmakers,” he writes in his NFC title game prediction. He adds that “Cornerback Jalen Ramsey cannot cover all of the Buccaneers’ high-end perimeter playmakers, but Brady won’t have much time to throw with (Aaron) Donald, (Von) Miller and (Leonard) Floyd breathing down his neck. The Rams pummel Brady in the pocket with a dominant defensive performance.”
The NFC title game prediction: Rams 31, Bucs 24…giving the Rams their fourth NFC title.
Super Bowl Pick: Rams get MVP Candidate at Home
The Rams continue the theme of playing the big game at home, continuing what the Bucs accomplished in the last Super Bowl.
And who’s coming to L.A. to add to the game’s star power? The Buffalo Bills, and their Most Valuable Player candidate Josh Allen who is currently in second for the MVP race.
With all the upset losses this weekend, Bucs QB Tom Brady is now the front-runner for MVP, per new odds from @SportsBettingAG. Brady is just ahead of Bills’ Josh Allen and Ravens’ Lamar Jackson …
But will this game come down to the arm and theatrics of Stafford or Allen? Nope, per what Moton and B/R believe.
“The defense that manages to generate the most pocket pressure will win this game,” is the written prediction.
And Moton later adds this statement prediction:
“Based on that premise, the Rams have an edge in this matchup. The Bills don’t have the personnel to make Stafford uncomfortable in the pocket.”
There you have it. The Rams surpass the Bills 30-27 and clinches their second-ever Super Bowl title — but first for head coach Sean McVay, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods (against the team that drafted him), Ramsey, Donald and finally, Stafford.
The full version of Moton’s column can be read here.