A big, big step

You know, I always wait an hour or so to start watching the recording of a game. That way I can zap commercials and so forth. Anyway, I start watching the game and Meg hangs in there for a while and goes to bed. She says, "I think you're in for a long night."

Man. I guess maybe she was right.

That game simply blows away any attempt to wrap it up into a cognitive package. I actually feel a bit of sympathy for TV pundits who have to try to discuss it. Trying to get hold of it, my mind skips here and there, like trying to grasp a trigonometric equation covering the blackboard. (Actually, I dunno a damn thing about trigonometry.)

Thinking about the Rams in the game, I feel pulled in contrary directions. What can we say about that defense? We give up 50 points and, what, 500+ yards … but we also turn them over 5 times, directly score 14 points that way, and pick Mahomes twice in the last 2:00.

The offense was so freaking good … and yet the OL looked bad, we gave up 2 strip sacks, both producing TDs, and failed on at least 3 occasions to lock down a lead. McV piloted us to a win and called a game producing 40 points. Yet, again, he makes some squirrelly calls that almost cost us the game. Even Goff, great as he was, missed maybe 5 throws that were there to be had.

What does it add up to? Who knows. I dread once again facing either KC or NO in the playoffs.

But I do think the game was a big step.

Now, for me, a big step means one BEYOND what everyone knows: we are demonstrably an elite team with legitimate SB aspirations. Around here, as we try to finally shake off the last vestiges of Fisher Syndrome, there is a tendency to insist on the joy of being where we are in contrast to where we were 2 seasons ago. That's so cool, and we all celebrate that together.

But, the "better than Fisher Ball" metric, honestly, is no longer relevant. Whether we are an elite team is no longer disputable. We are. And, in my view, the issue in evaluating a game is what it indicates about our post-season aspirations.

Looking at things from that perspective, I feel we took a big step last night. First, Goff won that game. He produced points early to apply pressure, came back and took the lead again, then came back and made the game-winning play. He missed a few throws. After the game, he talked with Steve Young about discipline on the depth of his drops, and he coughed the ball up. But, he made clutch play after clutch play, often on 3rd downs after missing earlier. That 3rd down conversion to Cooks on the way to the final score was clutch beyond clutch. I think Goff proved--most importantly to himself--that he can win an enormous, playoff-like game.

Now, I may be crazy, but I actually see some signs of hope in the defense. Ebu could be emerging. We contained the run. We made some stops. And of course Talib is coming back. Maybe, just maybe ...

From a team perspective, that was a really, really big win. Many, many players contributed big plays. The players followed the script, kept their cool (compare last week) and hung up the biggest W of the McV era.

To be an elite team, a squad has to pass through ordeals like this and win. Doing it produces a conviction of capability that can palpably enhance performance the next time around. Following a HC, especially a young guy like McV to wins like this, binds the players to a deep belief in the coach's leadership and schemes.

Winning a game like this leads to winning more games like this. Hopefully, with a bit more margin. But this sort of game can lay the foundation for an elite team beating more elite teams. It's a sunny morning today for Ram Nation.