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Sometimes, time and place combine with circumstance to create a moment that challenges perceived notions of what will be.
In the first couple of weeks of the NFL season, teams shed their guesses of who they are and find their true mean. Rosters shift, players bend to injuries will and coaches move their men like chess pieces across a 120 yard by 53.33 yard chalk defined board to find victory in checkmate, or king's end. There is no gray area now. Sublime is done. Misted thoughts of preseason perfection give way to a determined mind. Fans lament or cheer the possible. The former bringing steely resolve, the later prideful boasts of being elite. It is here where circumstance lives.
I tire of reading about the Rams schedule being the Mt. Everest before them. The first two games of this season went the way of ways, because the Rams are a work in progress. New offense, second year quarterback, rookies and free agents galore are the foundation of this team right now. That is all about to shift as the team begins to know who they are, and what they can do as a collective core.
The game this week against the Baltimore Ravens is about time and tide. The Ravens possess a defense of legend, but that legend wains with the passage of time. Their offense shows flashes of capability here and there, but nothing worthy of the immense swagger and erudite prognostication that sports columnists espouse.
The Ravens are coming into St. Louis looking passed the Rams to what they believe are greater contests ahead. I thought they'd be coming in with an eye toward re-establishing themselves after a loss to the Titans, but they've put that down to an aberration. Call it "homerism" (which is one of the dumbest sports terms ever) if you will, and you very well might, but this game has "Rams Win" written all over it. Final score: Rams, 27-12 Bradford passes for 380 yards, 3TDs, one each to Kendricks, Walker and Gibson