Stampede Blue
If it weren’t for a blocked field goal at the end of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams would not only be undefeated but would also be praised as the best team in the NFC. Holding a 26-7 lead in the second half, it took a complete team effort against the Super Bowl champs to collapse and lose. It was a shocking score at 26-7 and even more so at 26-33. The Rams have a terrible taste in their mouths and will be looking to take it out on the 3-0 Indianapolis Colts who are the surprising darlings of this young season. It will take everything they have to walk away from L.A. with the victory.
Playing the Denver Broncos and winning was a challenge. This takes nothing away from that, but weeks 1-3 are tough to judge. Teams are still figuring things out. 3-0 is a great place to be, but it can dissolve in a heartbeat, the same way a team can come back, seemingly from the dead, at 0-3. Teams that were supposed to be contenders start to look like they have no business on primetime while the Sunday at 1 pm slot shines for others that will be flexed as the season progresses. It is a parity league, and that’s what makes it great. So, while Denver is still a good team, a week two outing didn’t have enough data points to truly consider how much of a barometer it would be.
Weeks 4-6 start to tell more of the story. Teams have established their identity and gaps appear in the standings. Fool’s gold is revealed and true contenders turn on the afterburners. A victory against the Rams would be a feather in the Colts’ cap. We can see the Rams are good. They won a playoff game last year and much of that has carried over with Matthew Stafford leading the charge. Throw that crazy collapse and missed field goal out the window. The Rams proved they can play with anyone. Daniel Jones and the Colts need to prove the same on Sunday if they want to continue to be seen as something other than pretenders in the eyes of many.
The Colts offense ranks second, but the Rams are close behind at fifth. Flip the script to the other side of the ball and the Rams are fifth again, while the Colts slide slightly down to seventh. Those are two good teams from the early season numbers. That is why a victory this week would be huge for the Colts, and here is how they can win. Turnovers. The Colts have zero turnovers so far and are plus five. The Rams are positive but only at plus one. If the Colts protect the ball and force the Rams into one or two giveaways, that could be the difference in the game. A clean game from Jones and the offense will be needed to give them the best chance to win....
