Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are 4-0 so far this season. They also have yet to score less than 33 in all four games. The Rams have many weapons on deck to help them get to the Super Bowl this year.
Jared Goff, the Rams Quarterback, is a very young starter. He has not had as many highlights and awards as some of the other young quarterbacks in the league, but the amount of skilled offensive players around him along with Sean McVay’s, the Rams head coach, brilliant offense has Goff looking like a he could blossom into a star this year.
Todd Gurley, a North Carolina native, is the starting running back for the Rams. Gurley has a big future ahead of him because he is only 24 years old and has already been a 2x Pro Bowl recipient, the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year, and was the 2017 rushing touchdown leader.
“Todd Gurley is one of the most explosive/dominant backs in the NFL, which opens up the passing game for Goff,” Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports Writer, explains.
McVay transformed the career trajectories for both Gurley and Goff. People have quickly forgotten that Gurley’s second year in the league and Goff’s rookie year did not go exactly how they had hoped.
The Rams seemed to have gone all in for this year with a lot of the moves that they made this offseason. Players like Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and Ndamukong Suh all seem more like one year rentals rather than long term building pieces for the Rams.
Most NFL teams are afraid to go all in on one year and potentially sacrifice their futures by giving up draft capital that teams seem to value more than anything. The truth is that the Rams are trying to take advantage of having their young, star QB on a rookie deal. Teams like the Seahawks and Eagles have taken advantage of constructing their teams around young, “cheap” quarterbacks.
Nowadays, the cost of a franchise QB is 20 million plus per season which really limits your ability to pay for other star players. The easiest way to build a contender is to draft a QB and then surround them with talent. The Rams seem to be following that blueprint and it could lead them to a Super Bowl this year.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have come out hot this season despite a lot of experts being down on them coming into the year. No one could’ve predicted 10 touchdowns in two games from second year QB, Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs moved on from Quarterback Alex Smith this offseason after trading up in the draft the year before to select Mahomes and no one could have even predicted Mahomes would be performing like he has so far this season. He’s clearly taken the NFL by storm.
“Mahomes has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, that’s a fact,” Dajani adds.
The Chiefs don’t have much of a defense to speak of which could easily be there downfall but their offense has showed no signs of slowing down. The Chiefs had a much quieter offseason than the Rams did as their biggest acquisition was signing Sammy Watkins, the former first round pick. Interestingly enough, Watkins actually played for the Rams last season but had a fairly quiet year and they were content to let him walk in free agency.
The Chiefs are loaded at the skill positions with marquee names at every spot.
“Travis Kelce is arguably the best tight end in the game and Tyreek Hill is easily the fastest player in the sport,” Dajani explains.
Hill seems to score from 50 plus yards out once a game and at times it can be totally mind blowing. Then they’ve got Watkins at another WR spot along with a young phenom running back, Kareem Hunt, who led the league in rushing last year as a rookie.
The Chiefs high octane offense has caused analysts to somewhat ignore their deficiencies on defense so far this season. It’ll be interesting to see if they can continue to hide those flaws enough to keep stringing together wins.
Conclusion
The NFL has two teams that seem to be following the same blueprint which could make for a pretty cool story if they both end up in the Super Bowl. The AFC is clearly the weaker conference this year as it has been the past couple seasons.
The Rams have far more competition in their conference but they also have a more well rounded team which could aid them in making a run to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes and the offense will have to carry the Chiefs past teams like the Patriots and Jaguars and maybe another unheralded team that can make a move in the coming weeks. This wouldn’t be the first year that teams start off the year strong only to tail off later in the year. The Rams definitely appear to be legit, but I’m a little less sold on the Chiefs and need to see a little more to know if they are truly Super Bowl contenders. For now, The Chiefs and Rams look to be the early candidates to represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl 53.
