Eric Dickerson sees the Rams as the team to beat in the NFL right now

[theramswire.usatoday.com] Eric Dickerson sees the Rams as the team to beat in the NFL right now

Cameron DaSilva
November 4, 2021 2:02 pm PT
The Rams became legitimate Super Bowl contenders the minute they traded for Matthew Stafford. Their odds of winning it all improved immediately, and they only continued to get better as Week 1 approached.

After starting 7-1, the Rams cemented their place among the favorites to win Super Bowl LVI. So when they acquired Von Miller in a trade with the Broncos, it only improved their championship odds.


Rams legend Eric Dickerson sees them as the team to beat right now after adding Miller. He also said Miller will benefit from this move because he now has a future Hall of Famer playing next to him in Aaron Donald.

“Most definitely,” Miller said via phone Wednesday when asked if the Rams are the team to beat. “I think we were one of the teams to beat anyway even before we got Von Miller. But is that a plus? Most definitely because I think even for Von it’ll be better. He doesn’t have to be the guy all the time. I know what it’s like to be the guy everyone hones in on, they game plan for you. Now they can’t just game plan for him because Raheem Morris does a great job with that defense. Von Miller is still a great player. He has Aaron Donald here and some other guys to work with, a team that can score a lot of points with a coach that’s very creative offensively and defensively. So I know he has to be excited about being here. I know it’s hard to leave a team you’ve been with for so long, but it’s a new era for him.”

On paper, there are few teams with as much firepower and talent as the Rams. Between the quarterback position, the pass rush, the offensive line and Jalen Ramsey at cornerback, Los Angeles is loaded at the most important spots.

Dickerson sees this Rams roster as one of the best teams Sean McVay has had in L.A., which is something the coach told Dickerson before the season began.

“To me, I think it’s one of the best teams,” Dickerson said. “McVay told me that before the season started, ‘This is one of the best teams I’ve ever had.’ If the coach believes it, you know something I don’t know. But the most important thing when you’re playing football is health. How healthy can you stay? Because you’re always going to get guys banged up. I think if there’s a weakness, it might be in the secondary a little bit, but other than that, we’ve got a pretty stout football team.”

Of course, if the Rams do make it to the Super Bowl, they’ll be playing in their own building at SoFi Stadium. That’s something Dickerson would love to see because in his mind, SoFi Stadium is the best stadium in the world – and he’s been to a lot of different ones.

Los Angeles hasn’t hosted a Super Bowl since 1993 when it was held at the Rose Bowl, so February’s big game will be something special. Dickerson called it the perfect host city for the sports, the weather, the beaches and everything else it has to offer.

“It’s perfect because of the weather, there’s just so much to do in L.A. You can go to the beach, can go to the mountains, can go to the desert,” he said. “You have the Rams here, you have the Lakers, the Dodgers. It’s a sports iconic town. Not really teams you’ve never really heard of. Everyone’s heard of the LA Rams, the LA Lakers, the LA Dodgers. And with the new stadium, the stadium is second to none. It’s the most beautiful stadium in the world, and I’ve seen a lot of stadiums. I’ve been in all the new stadiums in the National Football League and none can touch it. For the Super Bowl being in Los Angeles, it’s perfect. And the weather, right now, the high is 81 degrees. I don’t know what it’s going to be in the Midwest but it’s not going to be 81 degrees, I guarantee you that. You can wear shorts and T-shirts, so it’s perfect.”