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While many of us would like to erase it from our memory, the Los Angeles Rams came up short in Super Bowl LIII.
Since then, the focus around the league has turned to free agency and the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft. While the Rams haven’t been (and weren’t expected to be) major players in free agency, many have raised concerns that outgoing players in ILB Mark Barron, S Lamarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold III, DL Ndamukong Suh and C John Sullivan remove enough quality from the roster in the immediate future that the Rams could take a dip in 2019.
Those concerns are reflected in new Super Bowl LIV odds from BetOnline that have dropped the Rams from the third favorites to win the Lombardi next year to fourth favorites:
Super Bowl LIV odds
| Team | Feb. 4 | Mar. 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Feb. 4 | Mar. 18 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7/1 | 8/1 |
| New England Patriots | 6/1 | 8/1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9/1 | 9/1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8/1 | 10/1 |
| Chicago Bears | 14/1 | 14/1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 25/1 | 14/1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 14/1 | 16/1 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 20/1 | 16/1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 20/1 | 16/1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 18/1 | 20/1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 18/1 | 25/1 |
| Houston Texans | 33/1 | 25/1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 22/1 | 25/1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 33/1 | 25/1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 28/1 | 33/1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 25/1 | 33/1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 40/1 | 33/1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 40/1 | 33/1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 33/1 | 40/1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 100/1 | 40/1 |
| Denver Broncos | 80/1 | 50/1 |
| New York Jets | 100/1 | 50/1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 66/1 | 66/1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 50/1 | 66/1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 80/1 | 80/1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 80/1 | 80/1 |
| Detroit Lions | 80/1 | 80/1 |
| New York Giants | 40/1 | 80/1 |
| Washington Super Bowl Aspirants | 80/1 | 80/1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 100/1 | 100/1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 100/1 | 100/1 |
Of course, that drop still keeps the Rams among the likeliest teams to win in Miami next February, so any calls for calamity would be over the top. The Rams are only behind the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.
Perhaps the biggest change in the odds since the Super Bowl is the jump from the Cleveland Browns whose huge free agency period headlined by the addition of WR Odell Beckham, Jr., has vaulted them into a tie for fifth-favorite status. The Browns. The Rams. Top five teams. Welcome to the New NFL.
Not a ton of change throughout the middle of these odds, though bookmakers are clearly picking up on what some analytics geeks are putting down in liking the Oakland Raiders’ rebuild effort.
The bottom of the 2019 NFL looks interesting on its own. The New York Jets have made huge moves in free agency that bookmakers responded to, but like Oakland they were starting so far at the back they’re likely looking beyond 2019 for success. And no team has seen a more precipitous drop than the New York Giants. At the far back are the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. The Cards hold the #1 overall pick in the draft while Miami has less capital to fuel their rebuilding effort.
Overall, it’s a good look at the NFL landscape as free agency heads into its second phase with the draft more than a month away. And a good reminder that despite the Rams’ limited activity in free agency, we’re still one of the better teams in the NFL.