One game each NFL team can’t afford to lose in 2020

Los Angeles Rams

Week 13 – Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

Many still believe that the Los Angeles Rams are Super Bowl contenders. We disagree.

But, just how far has the team fallen since their Super Bowl LIII appearance just 18 months ago? The answer is…really far.

If the team is going to be respectable in 2020, they cannot be the worst team in the NFC West. Unfortunately, that’s a daunting task – the Cardinals simply have a better quarterback than do the Rams.

This is a must win game for LA – a loss here means they’re the bottom of the West barrel, and who knows where the team goes from there.

Miami Dolphins

Week 13 – Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins

We mentioned above how important it is that the Bengals get their quarterback pick right, and that’s true of the inverse, too. If the Dolphins lose this game, starting Tua versus the Bengals and Burrow, it could be a sign that the team is still on the downhill slide of the franchise, when they desperately need to be trending up at this point.

We will not belabor the point here – who wins the Tua versus Burrow draft pick will shape these two franchises for years to come.

Minnesota Vikings

Week 8 – Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

The Minnesota Vikings need to prove to themselves, and the football world, that they can beat the the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. They need to prove that this is their year, that they are right about their quarterback, and that they can get the job done with Kirk Cousins.

Being a Wild Card team is no longer good enough, nor the goal, for Minnesota. They need to win the division for this season to be a success, and that begins with winning at Lambeau in Week 8.