CBS predicting a 9-8 season

[Elmgrovegnome]

Rams projected to finish above .500 in 2023 by CBS Sports

With the full schedule out, CBS Sports' Will Brinson projected the Rams' final record and he's more confident in them than most experts

sports.yahoo.com

Oddsmakers have set the Rams’ win total between 6.5 and 7.5, and even as low as those numbers are, most experts are predicting them to finish with seven or fewer victories in 2023. CBS Sports’ Will Brinson is not among that contingent of doubters, however.

Brinson predicted the final record for every team in the NFL and he’s surprisingly confident in the Rams despite their roster holes and lack of top-end talent. Brinson predicts the Rams to finish 9-8 this season, which would be Sean McVay’s sixth season with a record above .500.


Brinson cites his affinity for Matthew Stafford, as well as the Rams’ bad injury luck in 2022 as reasons for him believing they can go 9-8 this season.

Probably the biggest differential between the Vegas line and my projection. Some will claim it’s my noted affinity for Matthew Stafford but it has much more to do with a weakened NFC, trusting Sean McVay and believing injuries won’t stifle this team like they did in 2022. L.A. (146.5) was right behind Denver (148.5) for most Adjusted Games Lost last year, which could signal some improvement. Go 2-2 out of the gate or better and the Rams might be going full Undertaker GIF.

The Rams will be tested right away in 2023, facing the Seahawks on the road, followed by a home game against the 49ers and a road trip against the Bengals in the first three weeks. They’ll also host the Eagles in Week 5 after visiting the Colts in Week 4. With four playoff teams in the first five weeks, the Rams may need to win that matchup with Indianapolis in order to keep their season from falling apart early on.


Though they moved on from several stars this offseason, including Jalen Ramsey and Bobby Wagner, they do still have Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. If those three can stay healthy, which they failed to do last season, the Rams will have a chance to sneak into the playoffs in a weak NFC.

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[Elmgrovegnome]

I’m not up to snuff on advanced stats.

What does the part about adjusted games lost mean?

 

[Merlin]

I think they fall somewhere between 5 and 9 wins. Before the draft 6 felt about right with a 3 plus/minus, but since I like the way the roster looks much more now I think 7 with a 2 plus/minus is about right.

Oddsmakers have a good range set with 6.5-7.5 I think. But of course accounting for injuries you need a bit more variance than that.

Now if by some miracle the defense outperforms expectations wildly and ends up in that top ten scoring range then we're a legit playoff team. But there's just too much dependency on youth with that side of the ball to expect that. It is possible though, particularly if one of those edges we drafted starts fast. So if Young comes into camp hot I do think I might get a bit excited.

 

[den-the-coach]

Sure wish we could reverse the schedule, again key winning one of the first two and then beating the likes of the Colts, Cardinals, Steelers & Packers and thus you are at 5. I think they can beat the Packers with that pencil neck geek they now have at QB and the Steelers are beatable at SoFi.

 

[Mackeyser]

I’m not up to snuff on advanced stats.

What does the part about adjusted games lost mean?

The aggregate number of games our players have missed. We missed almost ten full player seasons and were historically bad with injuries along the offensive line.

 

[Tumak61]

If the OLine plays well and Stafford stays upright, and we have a pass rush then I think 8 wins minimum and maybe up to 11 wins and a playoff bid. First month of the season will tell us a lot. If we come out of the first two weeks at Hawks and home against the whiners at 2-0 then we'll all be doing a Ric Flair WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[OregonRamsFan]

I see our ceiling at about 9 wins and the floor 3 depending on injuries.

I’d say 9 wins is a very good year for us, all things considered, and either is fine. We’re not expecting a SB appearance so we don’t have that pressure. Either result is really a win.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Ceiling at 11
Floor at 7

I’m always assuming there isn’t a rash of key injuries like last year when predicting this stuff.

 

[Tano]

I see our ceiling at about 9 wins and the floor 3 depending on injuries.

I’d say 9 wins is a very good year for us, all things considered, and either is fine. We’re not expecting a SB appearance so we don’t have that pressure. Either result is really a win.

You copied me

 

[FrantikRam]

went through and checked and he'd potentially have us in the playoffs depending on tiebreakers with the Giants and Seahawks

1. Niners
2. Lions
3. Eagles/Cowboys
4. Falcons
5. Cowboys/Eagles
6. Seahawks/Rams/Giants
7. Rams/Seahawks/Giants

He has the Lions/NFE champ/Falcons all at 10-7 which would be WILD

 

[So Ram]

went through and checked and he'd potentially have us in the playoffs depending on tiebreakers with the Giants and Seahawks

1. Niners
2. Lions
3. Eagles/Cowboys
4. Falcons
5. Cowboys/Eagles
6. Seahawks/Rams/Giants
7. Rams/Seahawks/Giants

He has the Lions/NFE champ/Falcons all at 10-7 which would be WILD

The Hags are going to be TOUGH!! Say as you want.

—The Rams ? This 2023 plays right into how The Rams do.I can see The Rams offense being as good as EVER under Sean Mcvay.The concern will be WR? Jefferson & Kupp are excellent.That 3rd wr is key.

Tutu Atwell will show improvement once again.

 

[oldnotdead]

IMO 9 wins would be the absolute bottom. It would mean there were serious injuries to multiple players or to Stafford. As long as Stafford, Kupp and the OL is reasonably healthy the Rams will have a good offense. It would take multiple injuries on the defense to drop the Rams to 9 games. Again if they play who is best and not just Morris' friends and they stay reasonably healthy the D can be better than most expect.

This is why I say 10 wins is the bottom line. 11 wins is most likely with 12 wins possible.

 

[Ram65]

If those three can stay healthy, which they failed to do last season, the Rams will have a chance to sneak into the playoffs in a weak NFC.

Weak NFC?

Sure the AFC is stronger but, the NFC has very good teams too. The Rams have the Eagles, Cowboys, and Whiners 2x and the Hags 2x Besides those games the Rams have the Bengals, Ravens, Browns, and Steelers in the AFC to play.

I stopped making W and L predictions for the Rams. I will say this is a very difficult schedule with a lot more travel. The Rams offense can hang but, the defense has some question marks. Things could go south quickly with that early schedule.

You just never know exactly how the season will go. Looking forward to watching it play out.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Weak NFC?

Sure the AFC is stronger but, the NFC has very good teams too. The Rams have the Eagles, Cowboys, and Whiners 2x and the Hags 2x Besides those games the Rams have the Bengals, Ravens, Browns, and Steelers in the AFC to play.

I stopped making W and L predictions for the Rams. I will say this is a very difficult schedule with a lot more travel. The Rams offense can hang but, the defense has some question marks. Things could go south quickly with that early schedule.

You just never know exactly how the season will go. Looking forward to watching it play out.

Yes. The first half is brutal, especially with some inexperienced players on the defense

 

[Merlin]

Saw this linked on Reddit. Serious disadvantage for us in the scheduling:

 

[Merlin]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz_Ehdym7Ao

 

[kurtfaulk]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz_Ehdym7Ao

That was freaking awesome.

.

 

[oldnotdead]

Team building starts at the top down. Ownership must have the courage and foresight to get the right guy to lead their FO. He in turn must then get the GM and they together must then get the HC. Any other way simply doesn't work. Look at all the franchises that are flailing around but never really going anywhere. Then look at the ownership. Perennial doormats have doormat level owners.

Look at Detroit the FO finally got it right when they grabbed Holmes and I said so. The Fords hired Rod Woods in 2015 who frankly had to learn how to be in that level of position. His first problem was the new stadium. But in 2021 Woods then turned his full attention to rebuilding the team so he hired Brad Holmes. He has overseen a very rapid growth in the franchise from a perennial doormat to a playoff contender.

If the GM continually fails with his HCs then maybe the GM is part of the problem. Bidwell finally figured that out and it remains to be seen if he hired well although he saddled his new people with a horrendous QB contract. The drafting of Clayton Tune might signal a shift away from the RPO offense of Kliff to a more conventional style run/pass offense. This is reinforced by the hiring of a well travelled Petzing as OC. He has basically said his first job will be to remodel Murray's style of play into a more conventional style. Good luck sucker when you have a guy with a no study clause in his contract which is fully guaranteed.

IMO Tune was drafted to be the QB of the future for the Cards starting in 2024. I'm predicting that Murray will be traded or released in 2024. As a Post June 1 release he would carry a $48M deadcap but clear $3.3M of cap space. Murray's deadcap will be on the books until 2027 but only really bad in 2024. Petzing was last with the Vikings. Tune would be a good fit for that style of offense and would make them competitive starting next year.

That is the difference a GM change makes. Whether or not it works for the Cards remains to be seen but we have seen what it has done in Detroit. If they can trade Murray next year they should have the draft capital to rebuild quickly like Detroit. IMO Seattle made a mistake in not drafting a QB and gambling Smith will continue to grow professionally. In AZ you can see their plan, in Seattle not so much.

This is why IMO the Ram timing is what it is. They can stay ahead of the curve if they continue in this manner.

 

[Loyal]

I think they fall somewhere between 5 and 9 wins. Before the draft 6 felt about right with a 3 plus/minus, but since I like the way the roster looks much more now I think 7 with a 2 plus/minus is about right.

Oddsmakers have a good range set with 6.5-7.5 I think. But of course accounting for injuries you need a bit more variance than that.

Now if by some miracle the defense outperforms expectations wildly and ends up in that top ten scoring range then we're a legit playoff team. But there's just too much dependency on youth with that side of the ball to expect that. It is possible though, particularly if one of those edges we drafted starts fast. So if Young comes into camp hot I do think I might get a bit excited.

Youth hater!

 

[Steve808]

I would be ok with 9-8 this season (considering the fallout from "F" them picks), as long we beat the F-N whiners.