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Power rankings. You can hate them all you want, but they're representative of something not unimportant. Put simply, you don't want your team in the bottom half, or as the Rams call it, "our territory."
Let's see how bad this goes.
As always, if there's a power ranking you think merits inclusion, let me know and I'll start putting it in.
| Average ranking (# of rankings) | 28.75 (8) |
| Average change from last week | -8.88 |
| Highest ranking (source) | 22nd (Yahoo!) |
| Lowest ranking (source) | 32nd (ESPN) |
| Biggest positive change (source) | -6 (Prisco) |
| Biggest negative change (source) | -12 (Fox) |
The Rams were blown out at home, and blown out might be an understatement. Their quarterback situation has been thrown for a loop this year after losing Sam Bradford for the season. The Rams were forced to play third-stringer Austin Davis when backup Shaun Hill injured his leg, and unsurprisingly Davis wasn't very effective. Here's the good news: There's still a lot of talent on the Rams' roster, especially on defense. They've just got to find a way to get the most out of their players in Week 2.
With first Sam Bradford and now Shaun Hill, the injured reserve list looks much more qualified than the Rams' active roster. Who's up next -- Austin Davis or Case Keenum?
Austin Davis. That might be your guy, Rams fans. Can you imagine being the network voiceover guy reading the promo for this week's game? "Davis ... McCown... it's the NFL on FOX!!" St. Louis is, once again, in serious trouble. As the Seahawks and 49ers continue to rage in this division, this NFC West club just can't solve its quarterback problem. At this point, it might behoove the Rams to just slam the ball in the bellies of Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham and see what they have in their young stable of running backs. Give that offensive line the opportunity to push around some people. In theory.
CBS Sports (Prisco): 26th (20th)
Shaun Hill isn't the answer at quarterback, but who is? They aren't good enough without Sam Bradford.
CBS Sports (Kirwan): 30th (20th)
St. Louis is down to its third QB by time the opener rolled around. It's a tough spot and there doesn't appear to be an easy fix.
Yahoo! Sports: 22nd (14th)
I'm trying not to overreact to one week, but the loss to the Vikings was so thorough, and at home, that the Vikings had to be higher.
Pro Football Talk: 28th (20th)
When Shaun Hill is your guy, the postseason is not your destination.
Fox Sports: 30th (18th)
In his first game as the new starter, Shaun Hill was forced from the game early due to injury. Even behind a strong offensive line, the Rams couldn’t establish the ground game because it was too predictable. They are left scrambling at quarterback, and a once promising outlook for the season has dimmed significantly.