TST staff’s final 2019 win/loss predictions revisited

The Los Angeles Rams enter their Week 9 bye owners of a 5-3 record, and sitting in the third place in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers (7-0) and Seattle Seahawks (6-2). With half the season remaining, the Rams clearly have time to turn things around, but they’ll likely need to win six of the next eight (meaning an 11-5 record) if they hope to earn a postseason berth. That said, the opportunity to win a third straight NFC West title isn’t out of reach.

As it stands from a wins and losses perspective, the Rams are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs. If the postseason started today, the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, both of whom are 6-2 teams, would get the wild card spots. Again, there’s a lot of ballgame left, but the Rams need to control what they can control — and that’s taking care of business in each of the remaining weeks.

On paper, the Rams have some very winnable games in the weeks to come. They’ve also got some challenging ones. Here’s a look at their remaining slate:

• Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
• Week 12: vs. Baltimore Ravens
• Week 13: at Arizona Cardinals
• Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks
• Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
• Week 16: at San Francisco 49ers
• Week 17: vs. Arizona Cardinals

As you can see from the remaining strength of schedule below (via Tankathon) it won’t be easy sledding for the Rams’ NFC West counterparts either.

Back in September, prior to the onset of the season, the Turf Show Times staff took a stab at their win/loss predictions for the year. Having had eight weeks to see the Rams at work, and in an off-week, we figured it would be a good time to revisit those prognostications.

How will the remainder of the 2019 season play out for the Los Angeles Rams, and will their record be good enough to earn them entry into the postseason? The Turf Show Times staff’s updated predictions:

Elijah Kim

Original prediction: 11-5

The Rams entered the bye at 5-3 rallying from a rough stretch of losses to TB, Seattle and the 49ers. Interestingly enough, the Rams’ second half schedule at first glance looks just as tough if not tougher. The Rams will have to face the Ravens, Cowboys, 49ers and Seahawks with the other four games being relatively winnable. At the beginning of the season, I had 11-5 for the Rams.... Given a couple of tough losses already under their belts (the TB one just continues to frustrate me), I believe it may be a realistic mark. The optimist in me has the Rams splitting the games against the four tough opponents and finishing with a 11-5 record.

Final prediction: 11-5

kristianramirez

Original prediction: 14-2

We’ve made it. We’re coming into back half of the season on a two win streak against some “meh” opponents, but I think it gave us the time and room to focus on getting into a rhythm. We’re going to need to keep the rhythm going against the 49ers, who have shown few signs of stopping, the Seahawks who are always tough opponents and not one, but two games against the Cardinals. Not to mention the Bears and the Ravens with a newly acquired Marcus Peters. It’ll be an interesting winter, that’s for sure.

Final prediction: 12-4

Skye Sverdlin

Original prediction: 13-3

I think the Rams will go 6-2 and scratch their way to an 11-5, which in most realities would land a wild card birth. They Rams haven’t been perfect but Jared Goff seems to be figuring out how to play within this season’s set of circumstances. I think they beat Seattle, Chicago and Baltimore. If they can pull a win out in Dallas or Santa Clara, they could end up back in the serious contender discussions again.

Final prediction: 11-5

Joey the Jerk

Original prediction: 12-4

The final eight games of the season aren’t a cakewalk, but it’s reasonable to project that the LA Rams can come out of this mess with six wins losing to just the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. That means that Goff and company will find victories against the Steelers, Bears, Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, and the Cardinals one more time. I feel that this is an optimistic outlook considering the Rams haven’t been playing like a dominant team, but they’ve shown flashes. Plus, the Bears still have a great D, and the Cowboys and Seahawks aren’t pushovers. Anyway, I’m hoping they flip the switch and play like it’s 2018 all over again. Rams get a wild card spot at 11-5.

Final prediction: 11-5

Seattlerams

Original prediction: 12-4

We’re eight games into the LA Rams’ 2019 season, and I still have little idea of who this team really is. Are they closer to the only team to beat the Saints this year, or the one who was sent packing by the 49ers defense at the Coli a few weeks back? I took a look at a few key team stats that can often point to the success, or failure, of team:

Turnovers: Even (turnovers forced 12, own turnovers 12.)

Rushing Differential: +.03 yards per game (97.2 rushing yds for, 96.9 yds allowed)

Penalty Yard Differential: +5 yards on the season (450 yds for, 455 yds against)

Scoring Differential: +40 (214 points scored, 174 allowed)

The Rams are virtually even across the board, with the exception of scoring differential, leaving me to wonder just where this team is headed over the second half of the season. I can make the case for a 4-4 finish just as easily as I could 6-2 (a mark they will likely need to achieve to claim one of the two NFC Wild Card positions.) As of today, I simply cannot make a case that has the Rams playing meaningful football in January.

Final prediction: 10-6

Sosa Kremenjas

Original prediction: 12-4

Looking at the Rams’ schedule past the bye week bears a lot of feelings both positive and potentially negative. First things first, the Rams need to carry the momentum they’ve built the past two weeks into Week 10 by demolishing the inferior Pittsburgh Steelers. After that contest, the fun truly begins as the Rams will face a terrible offense in the Chicago Bears, a Ravens team that employs hands-down the most exciting player in the sport, four divisional games that are of the utmost importance, and another inter-conference game against a very good Dallas Cowboys team. Obviously, the Rams NEED to beat the Seahawks and 49ers if they want a shot at the NFC West, and beating the Cardinals twice is damn-near two more “must-wins”. The remaining games are interesting, and though the Rams feel like a better team than all of them on paper, those contests could generally be split and the Rams could still make it to the playoffs. Ideally, the Rams sweep this half (or even drop one game to an AFC opponent) and control what they can control while hoping for a little help from the teams that oppose the Niners and Seahawks. The main positive? The Rams have a much easier schedule than both of them in the second half of the season.

Final prediction: 11-5

3k

Original prediction: 11-5

This has just been too volatile of a team to really feel confident in any predictions. Things have swung so wildly in the first eight games that it’s tough to nail things down over the final eight.

That being said, this team isn’t overall much better or worse than what I was anticipating. The record is suffering from the inches-wide kick from Greg Zuerlein in Week 5. The youth on the offensive line is gaining experience. The defense has put together three good games in a row. The veterans and leaders know the playoff push begins in earnest in November. And McVay has had a week where instead of preparing for the upcoming opponent, he’s been able to mull over the outputs and the tape and reevalute this offense.

I had us starting 6-2 and going 5-3 down the stretch. I also had us losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s flip that one with the Rams taking advantage of QB Mason Rudolph replacing QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Final prediction: 11-5

Brandon Bate

Original prediction: 11-5

I could see the Rams winning every single one of these games. They’ve certainly got the talent to do so. I can also see them dropping half of them — specifically vs. BAL, vs. SEA, at DAL, and at SF.

Given the current state of the NFC, I don’t think 10-6 will cut it for the Rams this year if they’re hoping to make the postseason, so they’ll need to win at least two of those four.

I like the direction the Rams are heading in, and think they’ve got the grit to go 6-2 in the back half of the year. I’ll stick with my original prediction.

Final prediction: 11-5

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Staff pick summary

10-6: seattlerams

11-5: Elijah Kim, Skye Sverdlin, Joey the Jerk, Sosa Kremenjas, Brandon Bate, 3k

12-4: kristianramirez