The Los Angeles Rams are on the move once again this week after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, and once again, they’re heading in the right direction. Not only did they jump from the No. 6 seed to the second seed in the NFC, but they’re also rising in the weekly NFL power rankings.
At Touchdown Wire, the Rams were already in the top 10, but they’re pushing the top five now. They’ve moved up from No. 8 to 6, ranking as the top NFC West team on the list.
Here’s what Mark Schofield wrote about the Rams this week after moving them up to No. 6.
The Rams defense pressured, flustered and forced multiple mistakes from Tom Brady Monday night. The veteran quarterback threw a pair of interceptions – including one late in the game that ended a chance at a game-winning drive – and had a potential fumble ruled against them on a quick whistle. When you add that to what the offense did, it added up to a huge win for the Rams, the kind of victory that establishes a team as contenders in not just the NFC West (where they currently lead the Seattle Seahawks thanks to their head-to-head record) but in the conference itself.
After beating both the Seahawks and Buccaneers in the last two weeks, the Rams have firmly established themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They’re one of the best teams in the NFC and there’s no reason to believe they can’t also play with the likes of the Chiefs, Steelers and Bills – even though they lost to Buffalo earlier this year.
Next up, the Rams will try to beat the 49ers at home on Sunday to move their record to 8-3, which would at worst keep them in the second spot in the NFC.