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Well, the Los Angeles Rams lost a pivotal Week 5 home game against the Buffalo Bills to drop to 3-2. If the national power rankings were slow to adopt the Rams in 2016, obviously this isn’t going to help. But is the media souring on the Rams entirely or stuck in a wait-and-see position as the Rams remain in the bubble of mediocrity?
| Average ranking (# of rankings) | 17.00 (7) |
| Average change from last week | -1.86 |
| Highest ranking (source) | 12th (NFL.com) |
| Lowest ranking (source) | 19th (multiple sources) |
| Biggest positive change (source) | +1 (NFL.com) |
| Biggest negative change (source) | -4 (FOX Sports) |
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SB Nation: 19th (17th last week)
Don't blow this, Jeff! At 3-2, the Rams can give themselves a little cushion from Jeff Fisher's dreaded .500 mark. A trip to Detroit stands in the way of a 4-2 start (best for a Fisher team since the 2010 Titans) or another 3-3 start (Fisher started 3-3 in four of his past five seasons).
Tie ballgame ... late in the third quarter ... with the defense playing well ... And Case Keenum forces an intermediate throw toward the sideline. It's a risk that he and the Rams, simply can't afford to take. It would have taken a howitzer to get the ball to Pharoh Cooper before Nickell Robey-Coleman closed. The Bills CB personified the Pyramid of Success with competitive greatness, picking off the ball and sprinting into the end zone to put Buffalo up 23-16. Los Angeles isn't good enough to overcome spotting the other team points. The Rams must play quality defense, which they did -- save for some unsavory LeSean McCoy runs -- and solid special teams to win. On the latter point: The (failed) fake punt, deep in their own territory, was gutsy. Maybe too gutsy.
CBS Sports: 15th (14th)
At one point do they think about playing Jared Goff? They just aren't good enough with Case Keenum.
Yahoo! Sports: 19th (17th)
We all know Todd Gurley is immensely talented. His yards per carry this season, game-by-game: 2.8, 2.7, 3.2, 1.7, 3.1. It doesn’t do any good to have a great tailback if you can’t block for him and you don’t have a passing game that threatens anyone.
Pro Football Talk: 17th (15th)
“Maybe we should have announced the double-secret Jeff Fisher extension before the Bills game.”
FOX Sports: 18th (14th)
Despite getting unspectacular quarterback play from Case Keenum, the Rams have managed to remain above .500. Their schedule is somewhat favorable going forward, but unfortunately, Keenum doesn’t have the ability to take over games and win consistently. He’s benefiting from Los Angeles’ great defense, which will be tested in the coming weeks.