When the Rams Show Up, Everybody Knows It: What We Learned About NFL Teams When the Lights Came On in Week 2

You know what I love about Monday night football? Everybody's watching. There's no sneaking around, no hiding behind a noon kickoff when half the country is doing something else. The lights are bright, the cameras are on, and when you go out there and do your job the way it's supposed to be done, everybody sees it. That's exactly what the Los Angeles Rams did to the New York Giants on that Monday night stage, and it wasn't just impressive, it was the kind of performance that tells you something real about a football team.

Let me tell you something about grading football teams after two weeks. It's not about what you think might happen or what you hope will happen. It's about what actually happened out there on that field. The Rams went out and controlled that game from the opening kickoff all the way through to the final whistle, and that kind of dominance in prime time tells you something about your football team's character. Character shows up when people are watching.

The thing about the Rams' performance that really caught my attention wasn't just that they won, and it wasn't just that they won by a big margin. It was the way they won. They didn't have to get lucky. They didn't have to hope their opponent made mistakes. They went out there and imposed their will on the Giants, and that's old school football. That's the kind of thing that tells you a team has been coached right and prepared right. When you can take a game over like that, when you can make another team play your game instead of them playing theirs, you've done something special.

Now, I'm not saying the Rams are suddenly a Super Bowl team or that one game against the Giants tells us everything we need to know about the NFL in 2024. That's not how this works. But what I am saying is that when a team shows up in prime time and executes the way the Rams did, we have to give them credit where credit is due. Too often in sports, people want to find reasons to diminish good performances. They want to say, "Well, the competition wasn't good enough," or "That team they played wasn't ready." Maybe that's true in some cases, but you can only beat the team in front of you, and the Rams beat their team thoroughly.

The Rams' defense was relentless. I mean really relentless. They got after the quarterback, they limited big plays, and they made Matthew Stafford's job easier because they were keeping the Giants' offense off the field. That's football. That's how you're supposed to play defense. It's not complicated. You rush the passer, you cover your man, you don't beat yourself with penalties. The Rams did all of that on Monday night. Kyren Williams ran the football effectively, which tells you the Rams have balance, and when you have balance in this league, you've got a chance.

But here's what really matters about Monday night performances in week two of the season. At this point, we're starting to see what teams actually are instead of what they might be. We've had two games to watch these teams play. We've seen them in different situations, different weather maybe, different opponents. The Rams showed up twice and showed up well. That matters.

I've been watching football for a long time, and I know that you can't judge an entire season on one Monday night game. I get that. But you also can't ignore it. When a team comes out and does what the Rams did, with that kind of precision and that kind of control, it matters. It tells you that the coaching staff knows what they're doing, it tells you that the players are buying in, and it tells you that this team is serious about the business they're in.

The Giants, on the other hand, found out that week two can be a humbling experience. There's no shame in playing a better team on a given Sunday or Monday night. That happens. But the way this game got away from them early probably tells you something about where they are in their development right now. You can learn from losses, and you should learn from losses, especially when they're decisive like this one. The Giants have time to figure things out, but this kind of performance by the Rams showed them that they've got work to do.

When you step back and look at what's happened in week two across the entire league, you can start to see the real picture forming. Some teams showed up ready to play. Some teams are still figuring out who they are. The Rams showed up ready to play, and they showed up on prime time television when everybody could see exactly what they were capable of doing. That matters for seeding. That matters for how people perceive you as the season goes on. That matters for your locker room's confidence.

I think about all the Rams teams I've seen over the years, and this one, after two weeks, looks like they understand something important about football. They understand that you've got to come to work every single day and take care of business. You can't overlook anybody. You can't have a game where you're not ready to go. You've got to show up when the lights are on, because the whole country is watching, and if you can handle that pressure, if you can perform at a high level when everybody's looking, that's when you know you've got something.

The other thing about a performance like the Rams put on is that it sets a tone for the rest of your season. Other teams in your conference see that. Fans see that. Your own team sees that. There's something about being able to go into somebody else's house, or in this case the Giants' house, and just play the game the way it's supposed to be played. That builds confidence.

As we move forward into the season, the Rams have given themselves a great foundation with these first two weeks. They're not undefeated, but they're 2-0 and they've beaten two different opponents. More importantly, they showed in week two that when the pressure is on and the lights are bright, they can execute at a high level. That's what separates good teams from mediocre teams. That's what separates teams that are going to be playing in January from teams that are sitting at home.

For the fans, here's why this matters. If you're a Rams fan, you've got every reason to feel good about what you're seeing so far this season. Your team is taking care of business. They're not beating themselves. They're executing on offense, they're flying around on defense, and they're doing it in games where everybody can see it. That's the foundation of a good season. If you're a Giants fan, or if you're a neutral fan who just likes good football, you've got to recognize what the Rams did and give them credit for it. That's just being honest about what happens on the field. And if you're someone who just loves the game of football and loves watching teams play the way it's supposed to be played, you've got to appreciate the way the Rams showed up on Monday night. That's championship football right there.