Why Despite Loss, Rams Remain NFL's Top Team

The Rams are an imperfect team, and it seems to be the story of the NFL this season with massive amounts of parity across the board. In a lot of ways, this is a great thing to have, especially if this year's Super Bowl champion comes out of nowhere with a hot streak. Los Angeles may still be the best team in the NFL, but there is no true dominant force, as the Panthers showcased on Sunday.

The environments were the worst the Rams had played all season: cold, wet, and uncomfortable, something that had not been used to this season, playing perfectly into what Carolina did best by running the football at will while attacking weaknesses in the secondary, such as Emmanuel Forbes Jr, who allowed two touchdowns on separate fourth down plays.

Then, there were Matthew Stafford's rare turnovers: an interception off a tipped pass, a pick-six after the corner squated on the Puka Nacua out, and a Derrick Brown strip sack recovered by the Panthers that led to a first down to end the game. Stafford even said it himself that they can't win football games by turning the ball over three times.

However, despite initial disappointment from Rams fans after losing to the Panthers, there is little reason for gloom and doom. While Carolina has had an inconsistent stretch in recent weeks, along with a losing history in recent years, they are currently in the thick of the postseason race and played quality football against another strong team. In many respects, this was a respectable loss, not an embarrassing one.

This is nowhere close to the worst loss in franchise history or even in this century. In some ways, it is an overreaction to the spoils of having an amazingly talented football team. As the saying goes, "any given Sunday."

The Rams at large will be fine. They should be able to secure a Top-2 seed in the NFC, at worst, with the talent they possess on both sides of the ball. They are still the best team in the sport and should continue this trend against the Arizona Cardinals next week.

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