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We've got the power rankings coming in with Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season in the books, and things are looking up for the St. Louis Rams. Understandably, at that.
A gritty 34-31 overtime win over the Seahawks showed how potent the defense can be in racking up six sacks and surrendering just one touchdown. Of course, it also showed the risk elsewhere with a punt return touchdown and a fumble six that nearly saw the Rams off to a 0-1 start.
| Average ranking (# of rankings) | 13.63 (8) |
| Average change from last week | +6.50 |
| Highest ranking (source) | 9th (Fox Sports) |
| Lowest ranking (source) | 17th (Yahoo! Sports) |
| Biggest positive change (source) | +10 (Fox Sports) |
| Biggest negative change (source) | +1 (Yahoo! Sports) |
The Rams' pass rush got off to a hot start Sunday, recording six sacks in the win against the Seahawks. The Rams had six sacks combined in Weeks 1-8 last season.
Jeff Fisher is a long way from the 34-6 drubbing his Rams suffered in last year's home opener. While it remains to be seen how much longer fans in St. Louis will be able to watch NFL football in person, the local crowd was treated to a fun one for five quarters Sunday: two punt-return touchdowns, a huge fourth-down stop and, of course, a home W. This just in: Aaron Donald is a beast. And no, we aren't putting the Rams over the Seahawks. Too many six- and seven-win campaigns in the Rams' recent past for that.
CBS Sports (Prisco): 15th (19th)
That defense can be downright nasty if it can play like it did against Seattle. The pass rush is scary good. Nick Foles did some nice things, too.
CBS Sports (Kirwan): 14th (20th)
The pass rush is outstanding, the rest of the defense can play and Nick Foles looks like a brilliant offseason trade.
Yahoo! Sports: 17th (18th)
Great win. They've had great wins under Jeff Fisher before. What we need to see now is the Rams winning games that don't come against marquee opponents at home.
Pro Football Talk: 13th (21st)
Those 21,000 empty seats have a memory they can share with their grandchildren.
Fox Sports: 9th (19th)
The Rams’ defensive front might be even more dominant than we expected as second-year defensive tackle Aaron Donald continues to make his case that he is the NFL’s elite interior pass rusher. Nick Foles offers the offense a deep-play element and the confidence of a franchise quarterback.