So, here’s the thing. The Rams are good. Very good.

But that doesn’t mean that the week is lost or that Packers fans shouldn’t watch, or even that the Packers don’t have a chance in this game. Green Bay is anywhere from an 8.5- to a 10.5-point underdog headed to Los Angeles this weekend, but even that isn’t a death sentence.

The lowly Bills were 17-point underdogs against the Viking this season and came away with a decisive 27-6 road victory. The talent gap is so narrow in the NFL that even “unthinkable” upsets happen fairly often. With even the slightest hiccup, the Rams could easily fall victim to a rejuvenated Aaron Rodgers, fresh off a bye week.

Besides, what’s the point of being a fan if the experience produces only defeatist negativity? I’m not advocating for ignorant confidence, either, but the experience should be fun, right? That’s the point, yes? After all, rooting for a team and subjecting oneself to the ups and downs of a professional sports club is a hobby and a choice, so why choose to do it in constant misery? Why focus exclusively on the negatives?

Any team worth a damn wants to measure itself against the best, and the Rams have been the best team in the league so far this year. The Packers may very well lose, but any team with a gifted quarterback is a lucky bounce or two away from victory in today’s NFL.

5.74

The Rams’ offensive line is very good, generating a league-leading 5.74 adjusted line yards per carry on the season, according to Football Outsiders. As good as Todd Gurley is at running back, this stat indicates that he’s had giant holes through which to run and that the Rams’ running game doesn’t rely on Gurley making people miss in the open field.

Los Angeles’ tackle duo of Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein is the best in the league, and they rank No. 3 and No. 6, respectively, among qualified tackles in overall Pro Football Focus rating (David Bakhtiari is first). While Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff receive most of the attention, so much of what the Rams do is possible because of the blocking up front.

32%

Almost a third of the Rams’ pass plays have come from a genuine play-action concept, either with a straight drop back or bootleg, according to STATS, LLC. This number is very high and doesn’t even include token fakes from shotgun or screens that follow play-fakes.

With so much talk league-wide about spread offenses and innovative concepts, the Rams—headed by offensive wunderkind Sean McVay—hardly ever utilize run/pass options (RPOs) and still use the run to set up the pass like it’s 1993. There are new alignments and wrinkles, but a tremendous amount of the Rams’ offensive production comes from old-school philosophies.  

47.1

The Rams’ Pro Football Focus ratings are almost universally excellent, but Los Angeles has had some problems off-and-on in coverage this season. With veteran Aqib Talib on injured reserve, the Rams’ cornerback group has been beatable, noted by Marcus Peters’ PFF coverage rating of just 47.1.

The Rams’ defense has the third-highest coverage score overall, but the defense has been noticeably leakier against more prolific quarterbacks and better passing attacks. In games against Derek Carr, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and C.J. Beathard (OAK, ARI, DEN, SF), the Rams have allowed an average of 10.8 points per game and a coverage rating of 78.8. By contrast, in games against Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson (LAC, MIN, SEA), they’ve allowed 28.3 points per game and an average coverage rating of 60.2.

It’s no breakthrough to say that better quarterbacks put up better numbers, and it’s worth noting that the Rams won all the games, regardless. But there should be points to be had by the Packers’ offense. In four weeks—after playing the Packers, Saints, Seahawks and Chiefs—the Rams’ pass defense could very well be viewed as a relative weakness. And maybe, just maybe, it all starts with a Green Bay victory in Los Angeles Sunday.