Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals first half live thread

Well, here we go. The Final Five. A handful of games throughout which the Los Angeles Rams will likely need to remain lossless if they’re to make the 2020 NFL Playoffs starting with a road trip to face the Arizona Cardinals.

It’s hardly the cakewalk that many chalked this up to be three months ago.

The Rams have fallen apart on offense with an offensive line that has changed personnel frequently and played poorly throughout in front of QB Jared Goff who has hardly acquitted himself of responsibility. Head Coach Sean McVay too deserves criticism for not putting the offense in better situations, but he’d be the first to admit that. The reality is that the Rams went from posting one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2018 to an average one...or worse. And they’ve got to show up today.

Arizona on the other hand is scrapping through Year One for rookie QB Kyler Murray. At 3-7-1, the record hardly speaks well to the team overall (as it shouldn’t because that roster is still very, very bad). But Murray has sparkled, and the team has improved markedly since the first month including two recent matchups with the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers in which the Cardinals looked very competitive.

There’s no margin for error left for the Rams. A loss at any point down the stretch will end their postseason hopes.

Backs against the wall.