You don’t win the game in the first quarter. You also don’t build next year’s playoff roster in March and April alone.
The LA Rams were in this position a year ago, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs, but hopes weren’t nearly as high. Or realistic. The Rams could have stayed the course after last season’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. The team had improved from 2019, were back in the postseason, and had the number one ranked defense in the NFL.
But Sean McVay and Les Snead looked over the roster and thought, “We’ve hit the ceiling.