The Los Angeles Rams hit rock bottom in Week 9 when they lost to the Green Bay Packers with Brett Rypien at quarterback. They’ve made some changes since, notably to their quarterback room and starting safeties, but things are looking up following their Week 11 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
After being viewed as one of the worst teams in football two weeks ago, the Rams improved their positioning in power rankings across the internet. The highest they’re ranked is 13th, but most experts have Los Angeles in the range of 18 to 24.
Here’s a roundup of this week’s power rankings.
Touchdown Wire: No. 19
The Rams were No. 19 last week following their bye, and they stay put in that spot ahead of Week 12 against the Cardinals.
Rams fans are thankful for Puka Nacua and the fact that Matthew Stafford is back in the lineup, or they’d be 3-7.
USA TODAY: No. 13
Los Angeles made a significant jump up in USA TODAY’s poll, going from No. 19 to 13. It was an ugly win, but it’s one that improved their record to 4-6.
13. Rams (19): A receiving tandem of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua is fancy, yet LA hasn’t netted more than 220 yards through the air in the past six games.
ESPN: No. 19
ESPN’s theme this week is hot-seat candidates, and Cam Akers was the preseason pick, so his seat isn’t exactly warm in Los Angeles considering he was traded. The Rams moved up from No. 25 to 19 in ESPN’s rankings.
The Rams traded Akers to the Vikings in September after he was a healthy scratch in Week 2, and second-year running back Kyren Williams earned the starting spot for Los Angeles. There aren’t many hot-seat candidates in Los Angeles right now, including at quarterback. Although Matthew Stafford’s completion percentage is 31st in the NFL, it would be a huge surprise to see the Rams move on from him. Stafford’s $31 million salary is guaranteed next season, and most importantly, it was evident in Sunday’s victory over the Seahawks — he went 8-for-13 with 108 passing yards in the fourth quarter — how much confidence coach Sean McVay has in his ability in late-game situations. — Sarah Barshop
The Athletic: No. 25
It was only a small improvement for the Rams this week, going from No. 26 to 25 in The Athletic’s power rankings. The offense has been ice cold but the special teams unit has been even worse, ranking last in EPA.
The Rams won Sunday with a 22-yard field goal in the final two minutes, but that’s about the only special teams highlight this season. Los Angeles is last in the league in special teams EPA (minus-28.54), and this is becoming a trend for Sean McVay’s teams. There have been 160 individual seasons played by NFL teams in the last five years. The Rams have ranked 74th (2022), 100th (2019), 143rd (2021), 146th (2023) and 159th (2020) in special teams EPA in that time.
CBS Sports: No. 20
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco isn’t ready to rule out the Rams as playoff contenders just yet. He moved them up to No. 20 from No. 26 last week, a pretty big improvement for Los Angeles.
That was a gutsy win against Seattle, which puts them at 4-6. They aren’t done yet.
The Ringer: No. 18
The Rams approached their low a couple of weeks ago when they were No. 23 in The Ringer’s power rankings before moving up to No. 21 and now 18th.
The Rams' 17-16 win over the Seahawks in Week 11 keeps L.A.'s slim playoff hopes alive (the team now has a 16 percent chance to make the postseason, per The New York Times). And a win over divisional rivals is always a cause to celebrate for the Rams. But winning thanks to a missed last-second field goal from your opponent's kicker doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidenceâespecially when your opponent's quarterback also missed a stretch of the game with an elbow injury and didn't look 100 percent himself when he returned. To make matters worse for L.A., star wideout Cooper Kupp left the game early with an ankle injury and did not return. The Rams' path to the postseason is still mostly a mirage. âRiley McAtee
Bleacher Report: No. 24
Bleacher Report only moved the Rams up two spots from No. 26, noting Stafford’s gutsy performance against the Seahawks.
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Matthew Stafford took a brutal shot on a flea-flicker that was intercepted.
It wound up being a blessing disguiseâas it seemingly woke the veteran signal-caller up and set the stage for a late comeback that culminated in a one-point win in Stafford’s first game back from injury.
ProFootballTalk: No. 20
Mike Florio just about declared the Rams dead last week by putting them at No. 27, but he moved them way up this week. He improved their ranking by seven spots, putting Los Angeles at No. 20.
20. Rams (4-6, No. 27): "We kept Seattle out of the playoffs" might be the lasting memory of the 2023 Rams.
Pro Football Network: No. 24
Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network moved the Rams up three spots from No. 27 following their win over the Seahawks.
The Rams have four wins, and two of them have come against the 6-4 Seattle Seahawks. Sometimes divisional opponents have your number, and this appears to be the case for these two teams in 2023, much like the Giants and Commanders.
