After beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams moved up the standings in the NFC West and are now tied for the lead at 3-3. However, they dropped in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings, despite snapping their two-game losing streak.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire dropped the Rams from No. 13 to 15 following their win over the Panthers, barely keeping Los Angeles in the top half of the league. At No. 12, the Seahawks are the highest-ranked NFC West team, but the Rams aren’t far behind.
Here’s what Farrar wrote about the Rams heading into Week 7, which is their bye.
The Rams did eke out a 24-10 win over the sad Panthers on Sunday, but it was far from conclusive. Matthew Stafford’s pick-six to cornerback Donte Jackson in the first half put Carolina up, 10-7, and it was only in the second half that Sean McVay’s offense looked anything like Sean McVay’s offense. The loss of left tackle Joe Noteboom for the rest of the season to a torn Achilles tendon makes a shaky offensive line even shakier, and this defense won’t have Ben McAdoo and a bunch of backup quarterbacks to kick around every week. The defending Super Bowl champs get a bye next week; then they have to face a 49ers team that booted them around the block in Week 4.
There are plenty of reasons for concern in Los Angeles, but there’s also reason for optimism. Troy Hill, Brian Allen, Cobie Durant and Van Jefferson are all set to return in Week 8, which will provide a boost on both sides of the ball.
That won’t solve all of the Rams’ problems, and their offensive line is still a mess, but the second half of the season should be better for Los Angeles. They’d much rather be above .500 instead of sitting at 3-3, but this team hasn’t hit its stride yet.
