Consistent certainly isn’t the word anyone should use to describe the Los Angeles Rams’ season thus far. They looked good in a loss to the Lions, atrocious in a 31-point defeat against the Cardinals, resilient in a win over the 49ers and underwhelming in Sunday’s loss to the Bears.
They have yet to climb to the .500 mark, sitting at 1-3 after four games with just one week left before their bye. It’s difficult to gauge where the Rams stand as a team right now compared to the rest of the NFL because they have the talent to make the playoffs but injuries and poor execution have hindered them significantly.
When it comes to NFL power rankings, the Rams have been like a yo-yo: up, down, up, down. They went from being a fringe top-10 team after Week 1 to sinking out of the top 20 before climbing back into the top 20 with their dramatic win over the 49ers. Heading into Week 5, they’re back near the bottom of the league after losing 24-18 to the Bears.
Most outlets dropped the Rams between four and seven spots in this week’s rankings, with the team’s average position dropping from 17.8 to 23.2.
USA Today: 24th (last week: 19th)
ESPN: 25th (last week: 18th)
NFL.com: 23rd (last week: 19th)
CBS Sports: 25th (last week: 19th)
Bleacher Report: 24th (last week: 16th)
ProFootballTalk: 24th (last week: 18th)
Yahoo Sports: 25th (last week: 18th)
The Athletic: 22nd (last week: 19th)
FOX Sports: 20th (last week: 17th)
The Ringer: 20th (last week: 15th)
High: 20th – Low: 25th – Average: 23.2
If the Rams lose to the Packers, who are widely viewed as a top-15 team in the league, the Rams will be in serious trouble. They’ll head into the bye at 1-4, a dangerous place to be after only five weeks.
Granted, they started 3-6 last year and still made the playoffs, but they’d rather not sink that low again this season. Cooper Kupp won’t be back this week, nor will Puka Nacua, Steve Avila or Jonah Jackson.
Reinforcements could be on the way after the Week 6 bye but until then, the Rams have to make do with the players they have.