NFL Schedule: Los Angeles Rams Trying To Break Losing Streak In London
Before the season started, very few people gave the Los Angeles Rams much of a chance in the NFC West. However, they are currently sitting in the second place spot in a division that features the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. They’re hoping to surprise even more people by turning the tide in London.
It’s been four years since the Los Angeles Rams played in London. The franchise is hoping that the game against the New York Giants on Sunday morning turns out better than their previous one in England. In 2012, they were soundly defeated and dominated by the New England Patriots.
The Los Angeles Rams are going to be starting Case Keenum at quarterback. Most NFL fans know that he is simply holding the position on a temporary basis until head coach Jeff Fisher decides to pull the trigger on starting the first overall pick in the draft, Jared Goff.
Hekker + Gurley = Kickoff in London (6:30 a.m. PT) ??? pic.twitter.com/Ma9i3zt2Re
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 23, 2016
While it would provide quite the show for fans in London, Jeff Fisher is not the type of coach that is going to make a big decision on quarterbacks solely for that reason. The former USC Trojans star is going to start Jared Goff when he deems that it is the right time.
Star power is something that NFL fans in London have been craving. The Los Angeles Rams don’t exactly have a ton of that at the moment. Todd Gurley, their superstar running back last season, has been struggling a bit during his sophomore season, so fans in England are hoping that he can turn things around.
In terms of production, Aaron Donald is definitely a superstar, but he does not have star power. The Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle prefers it that way. Donald avoids the spotlight as much as possible despite being one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
The New York Giants have Ereck Flowers at the left tackle position. It’s not a comfortable spot for him. The Los Angeles Rams need to attack that by having Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald going up against the 22-year-old in one-on-one situations during passing plays.
Currently, the Los Angeles Rams are sitting on a 3-3 record. Beating the New York Giants would tremendously help their chances of making it to the NFL Playoffs. The team is hoping that the players are not distracted. Many of them have been sightseeing, as reported by ESPN.
In order to compensate for the huge time difference, the Los Angeles Rams decided to head to London several days in advance of the game, as reported by USA Today. The New York Giants are a bit closer to England, so they did not fly out as quickly.
In the limited time that the New York Giants have in London, they are going to need to spend it all on acclimating Robbie Gould, their new kicker, to his long snapper and placeholder. Gould was signed at the last minute because Josh Brown was abruptly left in the United States because further information was released on his domestic violence situation.
Not having a reliable kicking game is going to alter the game plan for first-time head coach Ben McAdoo. He might need to take certain risks that the New York Giants are not normally accustomed to taking in order to compensate for the loss of Josh Brown.
The Los Angeles Rams have to travel halfway around the world in an attempt to stay relevant in the NFC West. Unfortunately for them, they are facing a New York Giants team that is desperately trying to avoid being in last place in the NFC East.
[Featured Image by Leon Halip/Getty Images]
