Rams Beat Bengals in Super Bowl: How Far Away Are Texans?
Think back to the beginning of the 2021 NFL season.
Think back to where the Cincinnati Bengals were.
Think back to where the Houston Texans were.
Obviously, it does not seem like this at the moment, as the loaded Los Angeles Rams' 23-20 victory over the upstart Bengals in Sunday's LVI showdown at SoFi Stadium in Southern California would seem to accentuate the gap between the league's "have's'' and "have-not's.''
But look again, at the start of the year.
The Bengals had virtually no chance of winning the Super Bowl, according to the oddsmakers - had Cincy at +12000, with an 0.8-percent chance of becoming the champ.
The Texans, meanwhile, were at +25000 with an 0.3-percent chance.
Is this supposed to be comforting after having watched the Los Angeles star power, led by MVP Cooper Kupp (two TD catches) and Matthew Stafford, who last offseason escaped the Detroit Lions hoping for exactly this, reach the mountaintop?
Is this supposed to be reassuring because the Bengals at least made it by acquiring top-of-the-draft selections which resulted in back-to-back pickups of QB Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase?
Well, kind of.
The Rams' deep roster isn't all about pricy trades (Stafford, Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey) and risky signings (receiver Odell Beckham Jr.). The team's best player is defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a draftee. The draft still matters.
Nobody argues that when it comes to Cincy, of course. In this "copycat league,'' the franchise turnaround moves have included the hiring of a new head coach in Zac Taylor combined with the NFL Draft rewards for being bad - Burrow and Chase.
The issue, really, is how gigantic is the gap between these two rosters - both teams remember, were No. 4 seeds after winning their divisions, so neither spent the year as some unstoppable juggernaut - and the Houston roster?
OK. Fine. The gap might be gigantic.
But the Texans are poised to "win the offseason.'' The difference between the "have's'' and the "have-not's'' is something to be attacked. Somewhere between the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and the treasure trove of picks GM Nick Caserio needs to get in his upcoming Deshaun Watson trade, Houston has no excuse for failing to make a leap in terms of its roster.
"Have-not'' to "have''? Maybe not in 2023. "Have-not'' to "middle-of-the-pack,'' and then in 2024 execute a dramatic turnaround? Why not?
Cincinnati just beat the odds and did it. There will in 2023 and 2024 and forevermore be a team that does so again, every year.
The odds, as damning as they were last fall, also say it's possible.
