NFL power rankings: Rams jump Bucs for No. 1 spot after Week 3 win

The Rams took over the top spot in this week’s power rankings after beating the Bucs.

Since the start of the season three weeks ago, the Los Angeles Rams’ stock has been on a straight-line rise. After beating the Bears, Colts and now the Bucs, Los Angeles has quickly become the team to beat in the NFL – at least through three weeks.

The Rams’ win over the defending champions on Sunday was particularly impressive, beating the Buccaneers 34-24 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. Analysts are buying into the fact that the Rams look like the best team in football, as evidenced by power rankings around the internet.

Nate Davis of USA TODAY released his Week 4 power rankings on Tuesday and he rightly put the Rams in the No. 1 spot, with the Buccaneers second and the Browns third.

Rams (2): With Sean McVay’s crew now 2-0 against Tom Brady’s Bucs, the road to Super Bowl 56 in Los Angeles might literally go through LA if these teams line up again in the playoffs.

The Bears and Colts may not have been the toughest opponents, but Los Angeles crushed Chicago and should’ve won more convincingly against the Colts if not for a special teams blunder. And outside of the Ravens’ upset win against the Chiefs, the Rams’ win over the Bucs is possibly the most impressive of the season so far.

Up next, the Rams will face the No. 5 team in Davis’ rankings: the Arizona Cardinals. Like Los Angeles, the Cardinals are 3-0 and tied atop the NFC West. It’s the second straight week the Rams will face an undefeated team and the top-scoring offense in the league, proving to be yet another test for Los Angeles.

Elsewhere in the NFC West, the 49ers dropped from No. 11 to 15 after their loss to the Packers, while the Seahawks fell all the way from 13 to 19 following their second straight loss of the year.

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