The St. Louis Rams are entering the 2013 season with high expectations after playing a year in one of the toughest divisions in football and after holding their own against two super Bowl favorites in the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Jeff Fisher feels the team is ready for a playoff jump.
The team finished with a record of 7-8-1 last season after playing to a tie with the 49ers and as Sam Bradford enters after another year of development, Fisher sees him as being one of the top quarterbacks in the league this year, especially after the team drafted speedster Tavon Austin in the first round of the NFL draft. Austin is expected to open up the passing game for the Rams and this season they will need Bradford to be on his game, as starting running back Steven Jackson is now with the Falcons, making the passing offense more essential than ever.
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Last season Bradford showed some flashes of potential while throwing for 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he also had 13 interceptions and completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes, so if he can improve those numbers just a bit, the team should be much better off in 2013. Bradford's best performance came against the Vikings late in the season in a loss that saw him throw for 377 yards and three touchdowns and he also played very well in the team's overtime win against the 49ers. Amazingly, the Rams did not lose to the 49ers last season and that gives the team some drive heading into 2013.
The Rams have a chance to win the NFC West if the team can play against the Niners and Seahawks as hard as they did last season, as the team went 2-1-1 against their division rivals while also defeating the Cardinals twice, making their division record 4-1-1, something that Fisher can help build on. Fisher has been working on getting the defense in line after ranking 15th in both passing and rushing yards allowed per game and adding Alec Ogletree from the draft should only improve the unit.
The team will need some explosive players to step on offense this year alongside Austin, including fellow rookie and WVU teammate Stedman Bailey, who also played with Geno Smith in college, as well as Chris Givens, Austin Pettis and Brian Quick. The receiving corps are deep for Bradford, it will just depend on if everyone can stay healthy and the team will need those players to produce after losing Danny Amendola to the Patriots in the offseason.
The Rams were ranked 18th in passing yards per game and 19th in rushing and Fisher is working on getting both sides more productive and that will start in Week 1 at home against Arizona. The team will play two road games against Atlanta and Dallas before coming home to face the 49ers and they don't play the Seahawks until Week 8 in a Monday night game.
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