For the sixth year in a row, the Los Angeles Rams are 1-1. They dropped their first game of the season to the Washington Redskins on Sunday in dramatic fashion, failing to reach the 2-0 mark for the first time in 16 years.

While it’s certainly disappointing that the Rams couldn’t find a way to become the eighth 2-0 team in the NFL, there’s plenty of reason for optimism – and not just because Todd Gurley looks like the rookie version of himself.

Despite having the same exact record through two weeks as they had last season (and the four years before that), the Rams are a significantly better team than they were in 2016. Sunday’s loss was the perfect example of that, even if they did lose on a last-minute touchdown by Kirk Cousins.

The fact that the Rams showed the resilience and fight to claw back into this one after falling behind 13-0 in the second quarter proves this is a different team with a different mindset. Gurley put it perfectly after the game, too, explaining just how much better the 2017 Rams are than Jeff Fisher’s squad from last season.

“It would’ve been 27-3, instead of just as an offense being able to put points on the board and being able to keep our defense in it. It’s a start,” Gurley said.

There’s a sense of confidence and excitement surrounding this team that wasn’t there a year ago. Sean McVay’s offensive scheme puts the Rams in a position to score points and win games, even after falling behind early on. Now, you might say it was only one game that the Rams showed this, but it was against a playoff-caliber team with a Pro Bowl quarterback. And yet Los Angeles had a good chance to win this game late.

Goff may have said it even better than Gurley did, expressing plenty of reason for optimism, even after a crushing defeat.

“I think as a team we can take a lot away. I think we saw that we can fight back. We were down 13-nothing pretty early and couldn’t get much going offensively,” Goff said. “Then, we were able to get some big plays and come all the way back – and get a chance to take the lead there and ultimately tied it with the field goal. Then still had a chance to win it at the end of the game. Had a chance to go down the field there and score and put it into overtime. We were unable to, but it’s good to know that we have that capability. With that being said, though, it wasn’t nearly where we could be – so it’s good to know.”

It is good to know, Jared. It’s good to know that McVay can draw up plays to get chunk yardage when behind. It’s also good to know that the Rams have a quarterback who can make throws accurately on intermediate routes – something he and Case Keenum couldn’t do last season.

That’s not to say the Rams are perfect. They’re far from it. But at least fans can rest assured that this team will always fight back and will never lay down despite falling behind.

Even beyond that, the offense is far more consistent than it was last season when it ranked dead last in the NFL. The Rams have already outscored last year’s team 66-9 through two weeks despite having the same record. Gurley has played a huge role in that, as has the much-improved offense line that’s allowed only three sacks in two games compared to five last season.

This Rams team may not make the playoffs, but it’s going to come far closer to the postseason than last year’s team that finished 0-7 in the final seven weeks.