John Clayton Thinks the Rams Could Make The Super Bowl In 2014?

When people mention Super Bowl favorites for 2014, it's obvious the teams that will be mentioned. Of course the reigning Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks will be first on many list. Then there will be the usual suspects: the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and the New England Patriots.

So color me surprised when I read this article about John Clayton's Super Bowl favorites, and the St. Louis Rams made the list. Yes, the Rams made a list about Super Bowl favorites, and they aren't number 32 - they're in the top 5! Granted, the Rams are tied with 3 other teams at number 5, but that doesn't matter.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher has the youngest team in football. He has two first-round picks, including the second overall choice in the draft. Quarterback Sam Bradford will be back from an ACL tear.

The Rams are far off from the Super Bowl. No matter how hopeful you try to be, the Rams will have a hard road to the playoffs. It should be the first goal they try to reach, because the NFC West is stacked. Not just the NFC West, but the NFC as a whole is better than the AFC.

The Rams have a list of problems to sort out before next season. Will Rams' weapons Jared Cook, Tavon Austin, and Chris Givens elevate their play next season? Will Bradford rebound from his torn ACL and quiet the talk of him being a bust? What about the Rams new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams: will he finally coach a regular season game for St. Louis after being removed from the league last year? Will the defense finally take the next step and have players like Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Chris Long, Alec Ogletree, and Michael Brockers perform better than last year? Will Robert Quinn be able to continue where he left off?

It's going to be an interesting off-season and 2014 for the Rams. Who knows, maybe - just maybe - the Rams can become Super Bowl contenders...