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Ok, so this is kind of silly.
Pete Prisco, notable CBS Sports curmudgeon, predicted every single NFL game last season. Understandably, his predictions were not all that accurate. So bear in mind that while he's done so again this year, it's not an exercise in accurate forecasting. It's a response.
Look at how closely the standings in his predictions adhere to last year's standings. Not a ton of variance. And I can sympathize. The best teams last year look in place to be the best teams this year. I get it. But playoff teams turn over. It happens every year, and 2013 will be no different.
Let's look at his predicted results for the Rams:
Week | Opp. | W/L | Score |
1 | ARI | W | 27-21 |
2 | @ATL | L | 17-27 |
3 | @DAL | L | 20-29 |
4 | SF | W | 17-14 |
5 | JAX | W | 27-17 |
6 | @HOU | L | 20-21 |
7 | @CAR | L | 21-30 |
8 | SEA | W | 21-20 |
9 | TEN | W | 17-16 |
10 | @IND | L | 17-23 |
11 | BYE WEEK | ||
12 | CHI | W | 16-10 |
13 | @SF | L | 10-16 |
14 | @ARI | L | 10-14 |
15 | NO | W | 27-25 |
16 | TB | W | 21-20 |
17 | @SEA | L | 17-23 |
A couple things:
- Those are some close games. Last year, seven games saw the Rams and their opponent separated by 6 points or less. This slate has 12.
- Um, 8-0 at home, 0-8 on the road. That's too straightforward.
- The Rams scored 30 points or more twice last year. The above has them doing so zero times.
- They also held opponents under 14 points five times in 2012. Prisco has that happening only against the Bears in week 12.
So look, this is a tough exercise. But at least where it applies to the Rams, this was a pretty glossed-over effort. I recognize that the Rams don't have the base to command enough attention to hold someone like Prisco to the task when you put up a perfect home record and a winless road slate. That shouldn't matter though.
Page clickins be a-page clickin'.