The Los Angeles Rams took a major beating in Week 12. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens by a final score of 45-6. Many expected them to be serious Super Bowl contenders in 2019, after losing in the biggest game of the year last season. Instead, the Rams are just 6-5 and the issues are piling up.
Jared Goff has been bad this year. That's getting hard to deny. He did not throw a touchdown pass in all of November, and now has more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). It's not just Goff though, Todd Gurley is on pace for under 800 rushing yards on the year and the defense has been inconsistent.
With just five weeks left in the season, Los Angeles is out of the playoffs and digging themselves in a deeper hole. So what is there for them to be thankful for entering Thanksgiving?
Quite a few things actually, but here are two perfect examples.
Aaron Donald's Contract
Sure, Los Angeles paid Aaron Donald a lot of money. The defensive tackle earned every penny though, and more. Donald is an absolute stud on the defensive line and a true anchor. His impact doesn't even show up in the box score some times, but it is evident every game. Simply by being on the field, he makes things easier for his defense.
Look at their game against the Ravens. I know that sounds like a bad example, seeing as they gave up 45 points. However, the fact still stands that Donald was double-teamed every single play. That, in theory, should give someone a favorable matchup. It just so happens that in Week 12, no one capitalized.
The good news is, the Rams have Donald locked up for a long time now. So they should be able to pair him with some other monsters that will take advantage of that every opportunity.
Even now, Michael Brockers and Dante Fowler Jr. are nice compliments to him. However, imagine if the Rams get another true star pass rusher, things could be lethal.
The fact that Los Angeles knows it has Donald on the roster for a few more seasons at the very least, is definitely something to be thankful for.
Schedule the Rest of the Way
Honestly, the Rams don't have an easy stretch coming up. They aren't the only team I'm talking about though. There are two teams currently ahead of the Rams in the wild card race. They are the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings.
Those two teams play each other next week. That right there means Los Angeles 100% has a serious opportunity to gain ground. The Rams also still have a game against the Seahawks themselves, another massive opportunity.
The final games for Los Angles outside of Seattle are the Arizona Cardinals (a three-win team) twice, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas is currently tied with the Rams record-wise but leads the NFC East. So it's important for the Rams to win that one as well, in case the Philadelphia Eagles overtake the Cowboys.
Los Angeles doesn't exactly control their own destiny, as they need a few losses from the teams ahead of them. They have all the opportunity in the world thanks to the final stretch of games for these three teams though.
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