Rams fatal flaw that will derail Super Bowl hopes in NFC playoffs

The Los Angeles Rams face a tough battle against the Carolina Panthers. But they should have an edge if Davante Adams plays, as expected. Still, like every NFL team, the Rams have a fatal flaw, and it could derail their Super Bowl hopes in the NFC playoffs.

The Rams, who have a record of 12-5, are a 10-point favorite against the Panthers, who come in with a losing mark of 8-9. When these teams met in the regular season, the Panthers pulled off a surprising 31-28 victory.

Will the Panthers be able to take advantage of a Rams’ weakness?

If you look at the Rams’ offense, it’s top-notch. They can score with any team in the NFL. That’s especially true when Matthew Stafford is humming along. And the Rams’ defense, though it has struggled at times, can be good enough to help win a playoff game.

So what’s not to like? It’s that other side of the ball: special teams, according to NFL.com.

“The big issue is the faulty special teams, which seem to have at least one flub a week,” Kavin Patra wrote. “Changing coordinators helped for a week. But even in a blowout win over the Cardinals, the Rams’ special teams unit allowed a fake punt.

“Three of the Rams’ five losses came with key special teams botches (FG blocked vs. Eagles; missed FG and PAT vs. 49ers; missed FG vs. Seahawks). There were plenty more in games they’ve won. L.A. has allowed a league-high 16.0 punt returner average, per Next Gen Stats, and its return game has been middling.”

Even the kicker has been brought under scrutiny. Harrison Mevis made 12 of his 13 field goals. He also knocked home all 39 of his extra-point attempts. However, as it often is in the NFL, that one miss was a biggie.

“(Harrison Mevis) missed a big one in the pivotal loss to the Seahawks,” Patra wrote. “The 23-year-old’s range hasn’t been tested, with just one attempt from 50-plus yards (a 52-yarder). With points at a premium in the postseason, the Rams’ special teams unit could be the aspect that keeps them from a trip to Santa Clara.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay said the special teams must rise at the right time, according to latimes.com.

“There’s been some things that we need to be better at in critical moments,” McVay said. “It was just what we thought was best for the collective. As simple as it gets.”

One good thing about special teams being the Rams’ weakness is that they can minimize it. If they take care of business on offense and score touchdowns, they won’t need to rely on field goals. They also won’t have to punt or play punt coverage. And on kickoffs, they could use the touchback strategy and not worry about covering them.

Rams aren’t in a bad position for the playoffs

They get the Panthers in the Wild Card round. And if they win, they get another crack at Seattle — if all of the higher seeds win. Plus, McVay said he likes getting the Saturday game against the Panthers, according to theramswire.com.

“I like it. It’s not accelerated like a Thursday, but it’s similar to what we did last week,” McVay said. “We will be smart about the recovery process, but I do like that. I’d rather that than playing where we’ve had some seasons where we’re playing like last year, and even in the 2021 season, where we’re playing that Monday night game that usually is the four vs. five game.

“It just happens to be the AFC four vs. five game this week. I would much rather be playing on Saturday for the reasons that you’re saying. I don’t have too much time to overthink stuff. Let’s put together a great plan for our players. Let’s have a good week of prep. (And) let’s fly out to Carolina and let’s go to work.”

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