Judging by talking heads and pundits, the Los Angeles Rams should've been 3-0 with 120+ points scored and no more than 9 allowed at this point in the season. They were supposed to be so good, so dominant, so Earth-shattering, that the rest of the league would just waive the white flag and call for the season to be suspended.
Just thinking of facing the almighty Sean McVay with Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Trent McDuffie was scary enough to make Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks relinquish their crown and bow to the new kings. Roger Goodell would then give them five Lombardi trophies all at once just to save everyone some time.
Fast forward to today, and not only do the Rams have a worse record than the Seahawks, but they haven't looked nearly as dominant as the Stephen A.'s of the world claimed they'd be. Maybe people should've given the actual Super Bowl champions some credit?
The Los Angeles Rams are good and all, but the Seattle Seahawks are still champs
In all seriousness, it's way too early to count them out, but that's precisely why it was so dumb to anoint them as the greatest team of all time before they played a single down of football. Maybe they're just banged up, but did someone actually think that health wasn't a factor?
Even the Seahawks are paying that price. Their banged-up secondary probably cost them a perfect 3-0 start to the season, which goes to show just how difficult it is to dominate in this league. Having a talented roster is just a solid starting point, and a lot of things must go your way to be the last team standing.
No one — outside of probably himself and the Cleveland Browns — thought Myles Garrett would miss one-third of the season with a knee injury. Also, Aaron Donald has shown flashes, but it only makes sense that he's not as consistent after such a long layoff.
But once again, this should be a lesson to box-score watchers and Fantasy Football analysts. The flashiest team with the biggest names isn't always the one that ends up on top. In fact, more often than not, it isn't.
The Seahawks may not have the most popular guys in the league, play in the hottest market, or have LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani attend their games. I guess they have to settle for playing winning football instead.
The NFL season is a long grind, and we get it; everyone's got to it. Talking heads need content, and hyperbole sells far more than a well-measured, articulate analysis. The TikTokification of sports discourse is here to stay, and it's a battle we, unfortunately, won't even wage.
But then, there's a different breed of sports fan who refuses to die. Those who know that Madden and real life are different things won't be surprised to see that the defending Super Bowl champions are doing better than the new big team in town.
We've seen this cycle go on and on. Today it's the Rams, and tomorrow, it will be someone else. But regardless of tabloids, influencers, and pundits, one thing shall remain unchanged: You have to play an actual game before winning a championship.
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