The Los Angeles Rams took care of business on Sunday afternoon by beating the Arizona Cardinals, 26-9, at SoFi Stadium. It was a game the Rams were expected to win, but they needed a 20-0 second-half shutout to get the job done.
Already considered a top-15 team before Week 6, the Rams remained in the top half of the league in this week’s power rankings. Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey kept the Rams right where they were, ranking them 14th in the NFL, one spot behind the Houston Texans and two behind the Los Angeles Chargers.
Insert the meme of Paul Rudd and Sean Evans, accept it’s Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay being surprised that they are 3-3 and in the thick of a playoff race.
The Rams have the offense to be a playoff team, but they haven’t put together a complete performance from start to finish all season. They only scored six points in the first half against the Cardinals before erupting for 20 points in the final 30 minutes. That was one week after they were blanked in the second half against the Eagles.
At 3-3, the Rams are very much in the mix in the NFC despite struggling in one half or the other in every game this season. With the Steelers, Cowboys and Packers coming up before the bye, Los Angeles will be tested a little bit but it’s a stretch that could yield at least a 2-1 record.