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Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Rams are for real

By Shane Gray

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Todd Gurley II (R) of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates his touchdown during the NFL match between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium on October 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Todd Gurley II (R) of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates his touchdown during the NFL match between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium on October 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Rams are 5-2 for the first time since 2003. That year, the Rams went 12-4 and won the NFC West.

Don’t look now, but the 2017 Los Angeles Rams are indeed for real. At 5-2 for the first time since the Greatest Show on Turf was still conducting lethal operations on opposing defenses in 2003, the 2017 Rams are set up nicely to eventually qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Currently, Los Angeles holds a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks (4-2) in the NFC West and are tied with the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) for the second-best record in the NFC behind only the Philadelphia Eagles (6-1), who just lost their starting left tackle (Jason Peters) and middle linebacker (Jordan Hicks) to season-ending injuries (dailylocal.com).

As the Rams enter their bye week, head coach Sean McVay’s squad can take a moment to reflect on their fast start and appreciate what they have accomplished before beginning preparations to go the Big Apple in Week 9 with a great chance of getting to 6-2 against the hapless New York Giants (1-6).

Personnel wise, L.A.’s resurgence has started with a revamped offensive line that was retooled via the free agent additions of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan. To date, the front five has been downright spectacular in pass protection and more than solid on the ground.

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At wide receiver, the Rams upgraded by drafting Cooper Kupp and by adding former Buffalo Bills wideouts Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. Right now, the receiving corps is comprised of the most talented collection of pass catchers the franchise has had in a decade.

Jared Goff has gone from looking like a potential No. 1 overall bust a year ago to a prospective franchise quarterback today. In the backfield, Todd Gurley has looked like the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year rather than his sophomore slump edition of 2016.

Defensively, it seems everyone is getting comfortable in Wade Phillips’ system, as the unit has given up just 11 points per game in its last three outings. And the special teams — save some ball security issues on punt returns — have truly been special thus far.

But with all the notable improvements we have seen on the field, the most important addition came off the field with the Rams bold hire of Sean McVay.

It was a risky play, nabbing a 31-year old with no head coaching experience as head man of a struggling club in the nation’s second largest market. Thus far, however, the move has proven to be a genius play, with McVay a top early season candidate for NFL Coach of the Year accolades.

The implementation of his offensive scheme has been nearly flawless, and although the team’s scoring pace has cooled slightly from the 35 points per game they were putting up during the first month of the campaign, their 30.3 per game average still leads the NFL.

A clear path to the postseason hasn’t quite been made just yet, however, as the Rams schedule really ramps up during a seven game stretch from Weeks 10-16. In that span, L.A. will play six teams who currently sit at .500 or better and four franchises who are leading their respective divisions. The only team they will play during that stretch who sits below .500 is the Arizona Cardinals (3-4), who will host L.A. in Week 13 and be looking for revenge.

Next: 2017 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 8

All that said, with a 5-2 start, the Rams will likely only need four or five wins in their final nine games to grab a playoff spot, and considering the way they are playing now, I wouldn’t bet against them getting the job done and ramming their way into the postseason party a year or two sooner than almost anyone would have anticipated.

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