The Rams best opportunity to win the Super Bowl was in 2017. Goff blossomed into a top QB (finishing at #5 in passer rating). Gurley was at his best. There was no dominant team to get beyond. It was such a weak field that the Eagles won it all with their back-up QB. When your team has a shot to win the Super Bowl, it is essential to recognize the need for urgency. You need to go all out, or you probably won't get there. The Rams blew it by taking their foot off the gas pedal late in the regular season, and they were eliminated after a lame performance in a home playoff game. For much of 2018, it appeared that the window of opportunity was still open, but the wheels started to come off late in the season. They managed to luck into getting into the Super Bowl, but they didn't have the firepower to come out on top with Gurley reduced to a shell of himself. The Rams collapsed this season, but it seemed that they might have a chance to turn it around after bolstering the defense with Jalen Ramsey and apparently filling a hole in the O-line with David Edwards. More holes sprung up in the O-line, and Gurley will never again be able to carry the run game. The show is over. There doesn't appear to be any way to get this team back to the level it was at in 2017 and most of 2018. They might be able to make some improvements to the O-line in the off season and get back to the level of a Wild Card team, but I don't see this team rising up any higher than, say, the Rams teams of the 1980s that were always clearly in the second tier and never a legitimate threat to win it all. This year's version of the 2017 Rams are the Ravens. They have something special with Lamar Jackson and all the ways he can beat you. Based on his style of play, their window of opportunity probably won't remain open for long.
