NFL countdown: Rams’ future looks bleak

This is the 16th in a series of 32 NFL team betting previews in 32 days leading up to the league’s Sept. 10 season opener. We’ll count down the teams from the lowest season win total to the highest.

About a year and a half ago, the Los Angeles Rams were the future of the NFL. Now their days as contenders might already be in the past.

“If you want to destroy your team as fast as possible, do what they did,” Westgate vice president of risk Ed Salmons said.

The Rams went 13-3 in 2018 under second-year coach Sean McVay and advanced to the Super Bowl to face New England. The Patriots prevailed 13-3 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.

Despite the disappointment, the Rams appeared to be pointed upward for years to come. McVay had been branded a genius, and two of his former assistants, Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor, were snapped up as the head coaches in Green Bay and Cincinnati, respectively.

Jared Goff seemed to have established himself as a quarterback and was given a four-year, $134 million contract extension with $110 million guaranteed. Star defensive tackle Aaron Donald was already locked up on a long-term deal, and the Rams traded two first-round picks to acquire Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

The Rams were all-in to win the title in 2019. That didn’t happen — not even close.

The Rams stumbled to a 9-7 record and missed the playoffs, and Goff looked terrible.

Now they have little salary cap room and seemingly no way to get better. They’re locked into the Goff deal and have to find a way to pay Ramsey, a pending free agent. And they play in the same division as Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco, perennial playoff team Seattle and up-and-coming Arizona.

“The Rams are in big trouble,” Salmons said. “They gave all the money to Jared Goff and Aaron Donald, and there’s no money left.”

Salmons said he likes the Rams to go under 8½ wins.

Any Rams resurgence will have to come from Goff. After throwing for 8.4 yards per attempt (4,688 total) with 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the Super Bowl season, he declined to 7.4 yards per attempt (4,638 total) with 22 TDs and 16 interceptions last season.

In advanced stats, Goff went from sixth in the NFL in Football Outsiders’ DYAR and 10th in ESPN’s QBR metric in 2018 to 15th and 23rd, respectively, last season.

Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said “there’s a lot of pressure on Goff,” and he’s not sure the Rams can get back to where they were in 2018.

“Two years ago he made gigantic strides, and you didn’t see it last year,” Esposito said. “They just haven’t been the same offensively since they were held to three points in the Super Bowl.”

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.