This Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals will take on their division rival Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium.
The Cardinals look to be completely dead at halftime of Week 2’s contest in Las Vegas, but rallied in one of the more improbable comebacks in recent memory.
They suddenly find themselves with an opportunity to possibly take first place in the NFC West. So, what has changed since the Rams hoisted the Lombardi trophy a season ago?
The Rams made a few splash moves this offseason, as they typically do. The biggest two were the addition of former Chicago Bears receiver Allen Robinson and longtime Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Robinson did not have any impact on their Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills but found the endzone last week against the Falcons.
Wagner has looked solid to this point. Wagner was always dominant in games against the Rams, therefore they decided to bring him on their side.
Despite these additions, the Rams have not looked quite the part of the team that won the Super Bowl last season. That is mostly due to two major losses in linebacker Von Miller, who signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who remains unsigned after he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl.
Prior to the Rams’ midseason acquisitions of Miller and Beckham, the Rams were a good, not great team. Without them, they may end up struggling.
The Rams did lose a few other starters of note. Cornerback Darious Williams signed a lucrative deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars and longtime punter Johnny Hekker is now punting for the Carolina Panthers.
The retirement of left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was an anchor for Sean McVay since being hired, is worth noting. His loss has shown, as the Rams offensive line play has declined (partly due to injuries).
Here’s a full list of the Rams’ primary offseason moves:
Rams’ key offseason additions
- WR Allen Robinson
- ILB Bobby Wagner
Rams’ key offseason losses
- OLB Von Miller
- WR Odell Beckham Jr.
- CB Darious Williams
- LT Andrew Whitworth
- WR Robert Woods
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