It’s still early in the season but after five weeks, it’s becoming clearer that the Los Angeles Rams are unlikely to be legitimate contenders in the NFC this year. They showed signs of promise in Week 1 when they lost in overtime to the Lions and again in Week 3 when they upset the 49ers, but back-to-back losses against the Bears and Packers have sunk them to 1-4.
Experts around the internet are mostly bailing on the Rams and dropping them down their power rankings once again. After the team plummeted last week, they’ve fallen even further entering their Week 6 bye.
Only one of the 10 outlets below has the Rams ranked in the top 20, with two sites putting Sean McVay’s squad as low as 27th. Having Matthew Stafford and eventually Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua could keep the Rams alive but as of now, it’s looking like Los Angeles will be closer to a top-10 pick than a playoff berth.
USA Today: 24th (last week: 24th)
ESPN: 27th (last week: 25th)
NFL.com: 27th (last week: 23rd)
CBS Sports: 26th (last week: 25th)
Bleacher Report: 24th (last week: 24th)
ProFootballTalk: 25th (last week: 24th)
Yahoo Sports: 26th (last week: 25th)
The Athletic: 26th (last week: 22nd)
FOX Sports: 23rd (last week: 20th)
The Ringer: 16th (last week: 20th)
High: 16th – Low: 27th – Average: 24.4
The good news is the Rams have a break in Week 6 so at least they won’t lose this weekend but the pressure will be on after they get back from their bye. The Raiders, Vikings, Seahawks and Dolphins are up next on the schedule, and while the Raiders are a very beatable team, the Vikings, Seahawks and Dolphins (if Tua Tagovailoa is back) are all tough opponents.
The Rams may need to go 3-1 or better in that stretch in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.