Why the Rams and No Other Teams are or Will Be a Superteam
This idea may stem from the Rams loss to the 49ers on Thursday night but I want to make it clear this isn’t an indictment on the 2026 Rams nor an over reaction to the loss. The Rams will be fine and as this long season goes on I expect Myles Garrett to round into form, Matthew Stafford to find his rhythm, and the rest of this team to round into shape without issue. My issue or rather the reason I’m writing this largely stems from the drastic predictions and assumptions made of this team before the season. The premise here is simply there are never and will never be a true superteam in the salary cap era of the NFL. It’s simply too difficult and honestly impossible to build a roster in this day and age that doesn’t have some flaw or weakness on both sides of the ball and I think we saw a prime example of this in Australia.
The first point I would make is simply just looking at the numbers. While some say the cap isn’t strict enough and there’s ways to cheat it (Which there’s absolutely some truth to that)the simple fact of the matter is the cap still very much exists. When you have a a mostly equal playing field as far as money goes you can’t have a Dodgers vs the rest of the MLB or Warriors with Kevin Durant vs the rest of the NBA situation. On top of that simply constructing a team and even finding enough talent to make up a roster of 22 starters and enough depth to make through an 18 game season is nearly impossible, let alone when there’s 31 other teams trying to accomplish the same goal. I would compare it to a food dish. In the NBA you need find a way to put together 5-6 really good players or in this situation “ingredients” with 2-3 of those guys being special talents that can win you games on their own or “make the dish regardless of preparation/seasoning”. In the MLB you may have more players/“ingredients” to put together but you have unlimited budget so long as your owner has the money. You can go out and acquire anyone you want so long as the option is there and when money of that magnitude is involved… the options are nearly endless. The NFL on the other hand is like trying to construct a full five course meal with a $50 budget. Don’t get me wrong there’s been talented rosters throughout league history since the salary cap has come around and even now some teams such as the Eagles, Rams, and Broncos have put together incredibly talented groups but not a single one of them is flawless or so far ahead of the rest of the league it feels inevitable their trip to the Super Bowl.
The biggest reason for why it’s so hard to build a “superteam” in the NFL is not only the salary cap and the restrictions that come with that but what comes along with that is the endless ways you can counter a strength or attack a weakness with scheme. This part is a lot like chess vs checkers. In the NBA if you have a special superstar level player there’s only so much an opposing defense and at times offense can do to counter their effectiveness on the court. You look at someone like Stephen Curry and the gravity he creates along the 3 point line to either get a shot for himself or others on his team or Victor Wembanyama and his ability to deter opponents from attacking the rim and the freedom that gives his point of attack defenders. While there’s certainly examples of this in the NFL such as the attention Myles Garrett demands as a passer rusher and the opportunity that creates for others or someone like Patrick Mahomes and the amount of space on the field his running ability, play extension, and arm talent creates it’s just not the same when there’s 11 people on the field. In chess if you have a queen or even two on the board and your opponent doesn’t it’s certainly a huge advantage and gives you the upper hand in the match but by no means is it just over. One simple mental mistake or inability to see an attack and all the sudden you’re back on a level playing field. The NBA is much more like checkers. You give me a king and my opponent doesn’t have one… it’s virtually over. There’s less attack angles and overall control in checkers which makes it much more straightforward and I view the NFL and the NBA in the same way. If I have Michael Jordan in his prime leading my team and you have let’s say prime Paul George there’s only so much you can do to close that gap through scheme and at the end of the day if the teams are even somewhat on the same level 99/100 times it’s not going to be enough. In the NFL if you give me Prime Tom Brady but you have the prime Eli Manning you certainly are at a disadvantage but by no means are you out of luck. The control a great player has over an NBA game is endless. You can build an offense and defense around them and when it fails simply put the ball in their hands and say go get us a bucket. In the NFL you can’t simply walk out there and count on someone to take over. Every play has to be run by 11 guys all in sync and even then you can’t rule out the perfect play call from the opposing offense/defense. Top end talent certainly creates more margin for error in the NFL but it can’t make the wrongs right the same way a great NBA player can.
So while I love this Rams team and I’m not the least bit concerned about their for outlook this season following a Week 1 loss just remember… Just because they have 5-8 special players doesn’t mean they’re unbeatable or the rest of league stands no chance. They’re not perfect and teams will find ways to expose any and all flaws/weaknesses they do have. When it’s all equal though and you needed a big play there’s few teams I’d count on more to be able to make it regardless of the situation.
*Post Writing*
Myles Garret has been put on IR and will miss at least 4 Weeks following Arthroscopic Knee Surgery for a nagging knee injury from this offseason
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The Packers Late Game Collapse and Why They Will Be Okay
On the surface level this was once again a collapse from the Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love led era for the Packers and while the result was once again frustrating and disappointing the story of the overall game should not be lost. Before I get into why it’s okay I would like to make it clear the result of this game is unacceptable from this group and it’s continuing a very concerning trend of late game failures. With it being a divisional loss as well only makes it hurt that much more and even harder to bounce back from in the standings. It’s something we have to watch and if there’s a stumble like this again within the next couple weeks it’ll quickly become a problematic watching point to a full blown acceptance of who this team is.
Why I’m not overly concerned with the result of the game for this team comes down to a number of factors. First and foremost it’s Week 1, there’s a long road ahead and while the divisional loss will be something to keep an eye on for the standings down the stretch of the season a Week 1 loss on the road in Minnesota isn’t all that surprising or detrimental to the season outlook. The Packers also largely controlled this game on both sides of the ball, popping off explosive after explosive on defense while staying ahead of the sticks and defensively outside of a 50/50 ball on a free play to Justin Jefferson they weren’t giving up much. The defense also nearly closed it out as well and had it not been for three interesting/flat out bad calls on 3rd downs where the Packers got stops we very likely would not being having this conversation. Where the criticism comes in for the Packers is leading up to and following the drive with the aforementioned three penalties that eventually led to the Vikings go ahead touchdown. With around 13 minutes left in the 4th Quarter the Packers were up 5 and elected to kick a Field Goal to push their lead to 8 but the Vikings lined offsides which allowed Green Bay a chance to go for it on 4th & 1. Matt LaFluer and the Green Bay offense elected to try a Quarterback sneak with no pusher which was stuffed by rookie NT “Big Citrus” Dominque Orange. The choice to go for it was questionable but I liked the aggressive from LaFleur despite the outcome. With some help of referee Shawn Hochuli and crew the Vikings then went on to drive down and eventually score to go up 25-22 leaving around 6 minutes remaining in the game, this is where everything starts to spiral. After the penalties and the deflating result of the Vikings scoring the momentum in the stadium began to flip. Along with the momentum of the game and crowd, Brian Flores and the Vikings Defense now had the Packers Offense exactly where they wanted them, in an obvious passing situation. Any offense that’s put into a position where they’re forced to throw against this defense is virtually dead to rights. In these situations Brian Flores is allowed to now throw any and all idea of conservative play-calling (the little he already has) out the door. Everyone is at the line and they dare you to throw it short so they can jump a route. You’re not counting on them to leave someone uncovered to get a quick throw off or to win a go ball down the field, if you can even get the chance to throw that is which Jordan Love was not afforded. There’s very few if any Defensive Coordinators throughout history that I’d rather face in this type of a situation, it’s Flores’s bread and butter and the game was all but over once they got Green Bay in this position.
In my eyes this wasn’t so much about the Packers being choke artists like last year or having a real issue in that area but rather a wild finish to a Week 1 that we’ll almost certainly right off down the road. The Vikings are a good team and this was a phenomenal comeback victory but the Packers win this game 95 out of 100 times if you play it over and over again with how dominant and controlling they were leading up to the 4th Quarter. It’s a rough loss and it’ll sting for awhile but I expect this Packers team to be fine, especially once they get Micah Parsons back on the field and continue to get reps together as an offense and defense.
