Getty Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey leaps onto the back of Green Bay Packer wide receiver Allen Lazard during the Rams' 32-18 playoff loss to end their 2021 season. The Rams are picked by many to win the Super Bowl, but one national analyst tabbed them as "overrated" on Monday.
The Los Angeles Rams have been dubbed throughout the offseason as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but one national analyst said on Monday that the 2021 Rams are “a touch overrated.”
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports unveiled four teams dubbed in the overrated category for the upcoming season. While he listed the Rams’ rival the San Francisco 49ers as an overrated Super Bowl contender, he put the Rams as the second NFC representative in his listing.
Most overrated teams entering 2021
(According to @TylerSully)
• 49ers
• Broncos
• Patriots
• Rams
Sullivan Points to QB Situation as one Reason
From the moment Matthew Stafford was acquired via the Detroit Lions by trade in January, the buildup for a second Vince Lombardi Trophy winning season for the Rams began. Sullivan, though, shared mixed feelings about the move to send Jared Goff to the Motor City for the longtime Lion:
“The Rams are one of the sexy picks to win the Super Bowl this year and for good reason. They upgraded at quarterback after making the blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford that sent Jared Goff back to Detroit. This change creates a much higher ceiling for Los Angeles, albeit possibly shortening its championship window. While I do love that trade and overall like what the team did this offseason, I do have some pause about how highly they’re being talked about.”
From there, Sullivan wrote like someone who doesn’t want to read or hear about how one All-Pro QB one year ago benefitted from his own change of scenery: Tom Brady. The CBS Sports analyst not only squashed that comparison, but brought up Stafford’s postseason resume:
“I think Tom Brady’s immediate success in his first year with the Buccaneers has clouded fans’ minds about how difficult it can be to switch teams and instantly contend. It’s not easy taking yourself out of an offense that you’ve known your entire 12-year NFL career and expect to be as masterful in a new one after just one summer of experience. I’m also a bit curious about how Stafford will fare in the playoffs if the Rams make a deep run. That’ll be uncharted waters for the former No. 1 overall pick, who is 0-3 in his three playoff contests to this point.”
Defensive Changes Represents Sullivan’s Other Reason
Sullivan then crossed over to the league’s best defense from 2020 as another case behind his thought process on the 2021 Rams, zeroing in on the coordinator change:
“Meanwhile, the Rams did lose star defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to the Chargers this offseason. Raheem Morris will replace him as the DC and I’ll be interested to see if this unit continues to cruise as it has in recent years. The presence of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will certainly make Morris’ life easier as he transitions to this role, but will he have the same impact as Staley? That remains to be seen.”
Staley constructed a unit that confused opposing offenses and held opponents to 20 points or less in nine games last season. Meanwhile, Morris-led defenses have ranked no higher than ninth in the league.
Final Sullivan Statement
Sullivan insists that the Rams are built to play beyond New Year’s Day. But he’s avoiding the Super Bowl chatter attached to the Rams, stating “Again, I’m high on the Rams and fully expect them to be a playoff team, but I’m maybe not as high as the general NFL public from a Super Bowl perspective given the big changes at key spots, which technically makes them a touch overrated.”
Obviously, teams that carry title-winning talk will have those doubters who think otherwise. February 2022 will ultimately determine if Sullivan and CBS Sports was right or if he has to write a retraction on the website.