NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Titans ink Clowney, Chiefs remain clear favorites

Few teams cause me as many problems in terms of preseason evaluation than the Los Angeles Rams. And the reason behind that is quite simple; there are compelling arguments as to why this team could bounce back and as to why the lack of relative success from last season could be the new norm for this team.

The optimistic view of the Rams starts with Sean McVay. His status as an offensive guru was somewhat called into question in 2019 because it seemed as if the league finally had the book on how to slow his offense down. Having said that, there is still talent on that side of the ball and McVay could counter-punch. Moreover, the star-power on defense could anchor that unit with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.

On the flip side, there is the chance that the book is truly out on McVay and the prolific offense we once knew is no more. Partially playing into that is the simple fact that the running back and offensive line situations have worsened substantially since this team was making their run to the Super Bowl. And, of course, there are big holes around the stars on defense.

You could tell me that the Rams are going 11-5 or 5-11 in the 2020 season and both would be equally plausible for me. Coming into the year, no team has as much variance between their floor and ceiling than LA.