The St. Louis Rams rode a five-game losing streak through the middle of the season, but the team has found a way to rebound late in winning the last two games in a row. Unfortunately for the Rams, they have gotten hot at the wrong time as the Seattle Seahawks win on Sunday officially knocked the Rams out of playoff contention.
Here's what they can still accomplish in these final two games.
The first non-losing season for the Rams under Fisher
Jeff Fisher has a reputation of being an .500 coach record-wise, but since becoming the Rams head coach he has not lead the Rams to a record higher than 7-9. Right now, the Rams record stands at 6-8, sowith two games left in the 2015 season the Rams have a chance to finish this season with their best record.
Many people would like for the Rams to tank their remaining games for a better draft choice when the draft comes back around, but just because the Rams would have a lower pick does not mean that they will draft better players.
Evaluation time
With only two games remaining in the season, it would make sense that the Rams will evaluate their future potential free agents and young players.
The Rams have a few players that will become free agents this season including corners Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, defensive ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims, and safety Rodney McLeod. The Rams will have to decide which of these key players they want to bring back to the team and how much they might want to spend on them.
The Rams are currently starting multiple young offensive linemen. It makes sense to give them this season to grow and decide if they will start. RT Rob Havenstein and Jamon Brown played well this season, however these other young linemen could find a backup role.
This is also a chance for other non-offensive players to stand out like safety Maurice Alexander who is currently starting for T.J. McDonald. Tre Mason hasn't done much all season, but since Todd Gurley has reached 1,000 rushing yards Mason might get another look. At receiver, the Rams might need to see what they have in Bradley Marquez.
Let Aaron Donald be great
The Rams defense has been good this season, and the biggest star on this defense has been Aaron Donald. He's having a hell of a season with 64 tackles and 11 sacks, the highest among defensive tackles and sixth among defenders. Although the hope and expectation is that he will play at this level forever, sometimes that isn't the case. I'm not trying to be cynical here, so let's celebrate watching a potential Hall of Famer.
Signs of hope for next season
For those hoping that the Rams would cut ties with their current front office, those hopes were ended before Thursday Night Football when reports came in that the Rams would bring back Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead.
Right now, it's hard for fans to get behind a team that is not only facing their fourth losing season but also a team that could potentially move to a new state. The Rams could start off a franchise turnaround by finishing the season 8-8 and hitting a solid free agency period to go with a new draft class.
It would at least give Rams fans hope at turning the corner and realizing some of their potential.