Los Angeles Rams: Why are we still taking preseason games seriously?

The Los Angeles Rams fell to the Oakland Raiders in the first preseason game of the year and some fans are taking the preseason loss to heart.

The last thing you want to see as a sports fan is for your team to lose, that is the entire purpose of being a fan. However, under certain circumstances, a loss is definitely okay, but some fans still take it to heart. That happened with the Los Angeles Rams preseason loss against the Oakland Raiders.

Preseason games fall in the category of games that really do not matter where a loss is okay. Every loss stings a bit more in football as there are only 16 games, but this is the one chance for football teams to experiment and not worry what the final scoreline is.

Yet for some reason, there have been some negative reactions about the Rams losing to the Raiders. And this is not indicative of the entire fan base, but there have been more negative reactions online about this loss than those looking forward to what they saw on the field.

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

I’ve seen everything from “what, you want to see your team lose?” to “We only scored three points in the Super Bowl too, nothing has changed!” It really is quite interesting to see the fan reaction to the 14-3 loss.

And there were some negative performances as well that got the fanbase stirring. The offense line did not look great, there were some dropped passes and a ton of sloppy play with penalties. But hey, that is what happens when you play with your third-stringers in their first real game in six months.

Rookie running back Darrell Henderson also did not have a great showing, which could be concerning if you just look at the box score. And while he was facing the Raiders’ reserve defense, he also did not get a great blocking line in front of him.

It is the first preseason game of the year and the Los Angeles Rams are a team that makes it a point to rest its starters for the regular season. We might not even see any first-team looks this preseason, and if we do, it is going to be no longer than a drive for Jared Goff and company.

It is great to see football back in action but let’s reserve our upset reactions to a loss for the regular season. I know that the Rams have high expectations and the last thing a fan wants to see after the Super Bowl is a loss, but it is part of the process.

Sean McVay cares more about the individual performances on the field than the end result, and you should too.

Just remember: the Cleveland Browns went 4-0 in the preseason before going 0-16 in 2017. If that doesn’t show that preseason results don’t mean anything, then I do not know what will.