This has to be terribly bitter for Saints fans, especially after their miraculous loss last year. Two consecutive gut-wrenching defeats in the playoffs. And I have no sympathy whatsoever for them. Not even a tiny bit. After the Tom Mack penalty, and many other bitter defeats throughout the 70s, I just can’t say that winning a game with an assist like that bothers me in the least. I’m not experiencing my typical schadenfreude either, however, because I don’t care about the Saints. If this had happened to the Vikings, I would not be able to get enough of their fans’ tears. But I’m just without any sympathy for Saints fans.

But as I was saying, a lifetime (this, I realized, is my 50th anniversary of being a Rams fan)…a lifetime of mostly losing has taught me not to cry about referees, or bad bounces, or dropped passes (Cromwell), or loud crowds. They are each and every one a part of the game, and there is no use crying about it. At the end, when the final gun sounds, your team either has more points, or it doesn’t. And complaining about This or That, or What If is just a waste.

So this past week I made the case over at the Herd, and also on this pretty bad FB page, that the petition to the NFL to change the ref in this game was nonsense, and if you don’t want a ref to screw you over…SCORE MORE POINTS. Score more points, and take the possibility of a bad call out of the equation. Don’t cry to me about a bad call. There were other bad non-calls in that game (as others have mentioned), and that’s the way it goes. The Rams…in the end…out-dueled them. They limited the Saints to FGs in the beginning, and harassed them all day long. Donald made plays, Fowler, Suh, Littleton.

And GOFF! Goff showed me something really, really big today. His numbers weren’t great (they were pretty good, though), but he held that team together through hurricane force crowd noise that lasted the entire game, but was especially fierce in the first quarter. I don’t think last year’s Goff would have made it. That was F-ing magnificent. He kept that team going, right into the teeth of that noise, and a very stiff New Orleans defense that played very well.

And Zuerlein, baby. Two clutch kicks. And no gimme chip shots, either. Those were manly kicks. That was championship football we saw today.

This is now officially a bad-ass team.

I agree with all that, and would just add that the trajectory I see in Goff’s “recovery” falls short of what I think is Likely to produce performances like “pre-bye” Goff. Which is why I answered C). It IS in him. It is. We have seen it.

So…would I be completely blown away if it shows up tomorrow?

No.

But I would say I don’t expect to see that Goff again until next year.

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

C) Since slump Goff

Okay. Do you personally think that’s good enough to win on the road against the Saints?

Sure. If they get what they’ve been getting out of the running game, defense, and special teams, then…yeah.

And he’s going to need those things anyway, even if he plays like A), although if he plays like A), then the other units have some wiggle room.

But, yes, basically, I think the way the Rams have been playing post-Philadelphia is enough to win in New Orleans given the way New Orleans has been playing, and their injury-compromised lines. Yes, I do. I don’t think it rests upon Goff playing like an MVP candidate.

How the Rams Win the Super Bowl

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-the-rams-can-win-the-super-bowl-keep-running-protect-jared-goff-and-play-rough/

snowman wrote:

Zooey wrote:

Fun Fact: This year’s Championship games will have the number one age differential in starting QBs (Brady/Mahomes), and the number two age differential (Brees/Goff) of all time. In the Top Five age differentials prior to this year, all five were won by the older QB.

Hmmm, but were the older QBs this old? Over 40? I hope the Rams can get push up the middle and swallow up Brees, keep the ball away from Thomas and take your chances with the other guys.

Earl Morrall. John Elway. Uh…Fran Tarkenton. Brady a couple years ago. And…uh…whoever started against Kordell Stewart….

How important is this DL who tore his ACL?

Looks like the casinos think the matchup is even. Saints -3.5 at home is basically saying the Saints will win because of home field advantage.

Working for the Rams – as billy points out – is the fact that they have been playing better after their slump. I would like to say that the Rams have a coaching advantage since McVay makes great adjustments, but Payton is very good, too, so that’s probably a push.

The Saints have been more consistent all season, have a veteran QB, and the dome. I think the line is right, and I bet it doesn’t move much.

wv wrote:

The Talib play was weird. I dunno what he was doing.

But THE weirdest play was the bad-call that went against Dallas. The phantom sack. That was the worst ‘in the grasp’ call I’ve ever seen.

w
v

If I understand you right, what you are saying there is that you hate the Rams.

Noted.

wv wrote:

That was a singularly ‘satisfying’ game. They just flat-out beat the shit out of the rough tough boyz.

Byes help. Man, do byes help.

w
v

I like the word “manhandled” to describe the game.

The Rams manhandled the Cowboys. It wasn’t glitzy. It wasn’t a blow out. But from start to finish, the Rams won the game. Even when Dallas was up 7-3, I liked what I was seeing. Even at 7-6, I felt like the game was in hand.

They beat them inch-by-inch all game long.

I just put this on my idiot brother’s FB page:

So much for a close, competitive game.

Here’s a poll I took on a Rams FB page. The top answer has three dots to the right. That is +102. Apparently in FB polls, it can only handle double digits, not triple. So the top answer had 105 total votes.

The difference between Talib and No Talib is absolutely stunning, and is perhaps the thing that gives me the greatest hope for the Rams’ chances this postseason.