Whether the Rams beat the Giants by eight or 18, their record would still be the same: 3-1. It wasn’t their prettiest win and it certainly wasn’t by as many points as most people were expecting, but it’s still a victory, nonetheless.
After beating New York 17-9 on Sunday, the Rams have remained in the top 10 of this week’s power rankings at Touchdown Wire. Doug Farrar actually moved the Rams up one spot following the victory, slotting them in at No. 7, which is where the Patriots were last week.
Here’s what Farrar wrote about the Rams, including some concerns about Sean McVay’s offense.
The postgame fight between Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Giants receiver Golden Tate was the big story of the Rams’ eventual 17-9 win over the Giants, but the larger story is that Sean McVay’s offense had better right itself quickly if the Rams are to be competitive through the rest of the season. Yes, Big Blue put up an inspired defensive effort at times, but McVay’s offense put up just 240 yards after totaling 422, 449, and 478 yards in the first three weeks. Maybe it was a case of the Rams playing down to their opponent; perhaps it was letdown after losing to the Bills the Sunday before after erasing a 28-3 deficit and still coming up short. L.A.’s defense should fare well against Washington next week, but the offense needs to figure a few things out.
While it’s troubling that the Rams were only able to beat a winless Giants team by eight points with 240 total yards, it’s not time to panic just yet. The Giants defense deserves some credit for the way it played, holding the Rams in check on the ground.
Not to mention, L.A.’s defense held the Giants to only 295 yards, nine total points and zero touchdowns. McVay and Brandon Staley would like to see more consistency out of their respective units, but the Rams are in good shape heading into Week 5 against Washington.
Elsewhere in the NFC West, the Seahawks remained at No. 5 in this week’s power rankings, while the 49ers dropped one spot to No. 12 and the Cardinals slipped to No. 17 after losing to Carolina.