FanPulse: Los Angeles Rams fans are absolutely amped for 2018

Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across the NFL powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Rams fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.

Back in mid-August, we asked ye Los Angeles Rams fans to help us out with a new initiative we’re launching across all of the SB Nation NFL network this year: FanPulse. Collectively each week, we’ll hear from fans of every team to get a sense of where things stand internationally for the league, for each team and for the major topics being pushed by national media.

This week:

• The Rams’ Week 1 game against the Oakland Raiders
• Current confidence level in the direction of the team
• The worst NFL rule entering the 2018 season

Will the Rams win or lose in Week 1?

Rams fans think they will beat the Raiders by 11

I mean, cmon. Of course we’re going to be biased. We’re heading into the season with the highest expectations in a decade and a half on the back of an offseason peppered with acquisitions of the highest name recognition following a historic turnaround season in 2017 facing an opponent that just traded perhaps the best edge rusher in the game.

If anything, I’m surprised it’s just 11.

How confident are you in the direction of the team?

Very confident: 85 percent

Somewhat confident: 15 percent

Meh: 0 percent

Not very confident: 0 percent

Not confident at all: 0 percent

Again...yeah.

The real question here might be...who is in that 15%?! Not that there’s not reason to have some hesitation about things overall, but man...this is about as good as it gets prior to Week 1! Or at least as good as it’s been in a long, long, long time. But good for those of you with such high standards. Keep em up!

What is the worst NFL rule?

Man this one is hard.

The helmet rule is carrying the day probably thanks to some recency bias from the preseason where it was overlegislated to try to and affect gameplay headed into the season.

I don’t know how much it will take though for the catch rule to come back on top here. Already from last night’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles (zzzzzzzzz...), we were already reminded of just how confounding the catch rule remains...

Ultimately though, this will come down to whatever rule affects a Rams game. Let the Raiders pick up a first down on third and long from the helmet rule and this’ll jump to 90%. A close game late and what looks like a catch from WR Robert Woods or WR Cooper Kupp ruled incomplete and held up on controversial review? The helmet rule will be the least of Rams fans concerns.

So stay tuned this season as we track fan sentiment with FanPulse. And if you want your voice heard, sign up here!