The LA Rams are clearly the best team in the NFL right now, sitting at a comfortable, table-topping 9-2. After pummeling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 34-7, Sean McVay and company officially stamped their approval as the team to beat. Veteran broadcaster Rich Eisen naturally lauds the head coach for the record. He even recalled a critical interview with McVay earlier in the season that has stuck with him ever since.
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In case you’ve missed it, Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua have been balling out for the Rams this season. The two have formed one of the most lethal duos in the league, as 947 of Stafford’s 2,830 passing yards have gone to Nacua. But the team has also managed without the WR when he was unavailable.
Nacua picked up an ankle injury before the London game in Week 7. That raised plenty of questions about what the Rams would look like without him, including for Eisen.
The broadcaster went on to call LA’s first game without Nacua overseas and spoke with McVay beforehand, where the head coach explained how the offense would adjust in his absence.
“[McVay] said to the broadcasting group, ‘You know, with Puka being out, we’re going to try to use this as something helpful. Because we’ve been really Puka-dependent, and we need to show that we’re a more diverse offense. So, we’re going to do that.’ Like, okay, sounds good. And all they’ve done is gotten better,” Eisen shared on his show.
Without Puka, the Rams took the opportunity to spread the ball around more and get the most out of their offense. Now, they’ve found out that Davante Adams is their go-to guy on the goal line, as he leads the team with 12 touchdown receptions. They’ve also gotten more production from their tight ends and their running back core of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
But the star of the show has been Stafford, who continues to take care of the ball and throw touchdowns at an incredible rate.
“Matthew Stafford has thrown 27 straight touchdown passes without a single interception, tying Tom Brady for the longest such streak in the NFL,” Eisen added.
All in all, Stafford has 30 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions on the entire season. He’s now the leading favorite in the MVP race, threatening to win the award for the first time in his career at age 37.
With all of this in mind, Eisen stated that the Rams are the best team in the NFL right now.
“The Rams are the team to beat through 12 weeks. Period. End of story.”
At 9-2, the Rams are tied for the second-best record in the league. But they have the best point differential at plus 127, proving that they’ve been the most dominant team on offense and defense.
At the end of the day, Eisen is right. The Rams are the team to beat right now. They have an MVP candidate at quarterback, two elite wide receivers, a great running scheme, an excellent defense, and a top-tier Super Bowl-winning head coach. It’s hard to envision them not winning it all if they can stay healthy.
