Uh oh. The St. Louis Rams had a chance this week to put themselves in the driver's seat for the NFC West title, and cement their name in the NFL playoff picture. Instead they lost an ugly one to Kansas City.
Just as troubling as the results on the field was this quote from head coach Steve Spagnuolo following the game:
Basically for us our regular season is over. Now it's a playoff mode for us.
Maybe you can argue the semantics of it. Technically, it's true. If the Rams lose next week, they're out of it. But it's not the technicality that should bother you. Why wasn't that the mentality before the Rams took the field this week?
The follow up quote from Steven Jackson is even more troubling:
We should have been in playoff mode today.
Jackson, an essential team leader, is absolutely right. Given the state of things with the Rams in the last two weeks, it was clear the team was woefully unprepared for the Chiefs this week.
I wondered earlier today about the impact of the team's frustrations in the locker room and the delicate mix of team chemistry. To hear such a disparate view of the Rams' game yesterday underscores my concern. Keep a close on this situation throughout the week as well as on the field when the Rams play the 49ers next week.
There could be a storm brewing.