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A week ago, the Rams slid a spot after a tough 6-12 loss at home to the Steelers. Now coming off of a promising Todd Gurley-fueled road win over the Cardinals, how do the major power rankings see the Rams?
| Average ranking (# of rankings) | 13.38 (8) |
| Average change from last week | +6.13 |
| Highest ranking (source) | 10th (Pro Football Talk) |
| Lowest ranking (source) | 18th (Yahoo!) |
| Biggest positive change (source) | +11 (CBS - Prisco) |
| Biggest negative change (source) | +3 (multiple sources) |
Tell me if you've got the Rams figured out. St. Louis knocked off a red-hot Cardinals team in their place this week to make a big leap up the rankings, and looked like real contenders in doing so. Todd Gurley blew the second-half up, Tavon Austin looked like the guy the Rams thought he'd be in the pros, and Nick Foles hit on some big-time throws. As it's gone with the Rams, consistency has been a problem, and this is just one week, but if they can carry over some of that swagger into next week in Green Bay and win, look out.
Todd Gurley had more rushing yards in Week 4 (164) than the Rams' other running backs had combined (111) in Weeks 1-3.
The NFL got its first real dose of Todd Gurley on Sunday. Man, oh man -- if that's what we're in for ... Move over, A.D., and take notice, Le'Veon Bell. Gurley looked awesome. For a big man with an almost Eddie George-esque body, Gurley produced some gorgeous runs. Then the rookie had the presence of mind -- or good sense to listen to his teammates in the huddle -- to down himself and burn clock late. That play reminded me of a similar occurrence when Brian Westbrook was toasting the Cowboys in 2007 and tackled himself after a big run late in the game, to keep the clock running. This Gurley kid has some of Westbrook's shimmy, with the stature to be a bell-cow back in the era of the committee. As a non-SEC watcher, am I overreacting on Gurley?
CBS Sports (Prisco): 17th (28th)
We knew the defense would be good, but with Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin, the offense might be better than expected.
CBS Sports (Kirwan): 11th (14th)
Jeff Fisher said he's trying to re-build what we had in Tennessee. It's coming together. The defense gets after the QB and forces turnovers, and now they may have the Rams version of Eddie George in Todd Gurley.
Yahoo! Sports: 18th (21st)
It was a costly win for the Rams, losing linebacker Alec Ogletree to an ankle injury that required surgery. He might be done for the year. That's no small loss; Ogletree is a phenomenal playmaker.
Pro Football Talk: 10th (17th)
Sunday’s win over the Cardinals inevitably will be bookended by a loss to someone like the Browns.
FOX Sports: 14th (21st)
The Rams finally unleashed their dynamic rookie running back Todd Gurley, who racked up 146 yards rushing on just 19 carries. With a dominant defensive line and a featured back in Gurley who can hide some of the issues along the offensive line, the Rams are on the move up.