2017 NFL Power Rankings Summary - Week 13
Average ranking (# of rankings) | 4.75 (8) |
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Average ranking (# of rankings) | 4.75 (8) |
Average change from last week | +1.63 |
Highest ranking (source) | 3rd (ESPN) |
Lowest ranking (source) | 5th (multiple sources) |
Biggest positive change (source) | +3 (multiple sources) |
Biggest negative change (source) | +1 (multiple sources) |
SB Nation: 5th (last week: 8th)
The Los Angeles Rams couldn’t get through the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11 but showed they are very much the real deal a week later by getting a 26-20 win over the New Orleans Saints.
That snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Saints and shuffled the seeding in the NFC playoff picture. It also sent the Rams into the top five of our power rankings, one spot ahead of the Saints.
Jared Goff is having a great season, but he has been getting plenty of help from his friends. The Rams are averaging an NFL-best 13.3 yards per reception and a league-best 6.7 yards after the catch.
Favorite sequence Sunday: The Rams, trying to put the game away in the third quarter, deep in their own territory, get a huge run by Todd Gurley to spark the offense. Holding, 77, white. Andrew Whitworth, far and away Los Angeles' top lineman, was the culprit. So the Rams go right back at it on first-and-15, with Gurley churning right through the teeth of the Saints' defense for 14 yards. Second down, couple feet to go.
I loved this because of the commitment Sean McVay has to using Gurley, and how he's using Gurley, and because Gurley, whom some questioned last year, put the previous play in the rearview instantly to run right up the Saints' @$$. It's not simply the uptick in quarterback play that's placed McVay's group atop the NFC West. Helluva rebound game, Cooper Kupp.
CBS Sports: 5th (6th)
They showed they could play with anybody by dominating the Saints at home. The defense is getting better by the week.
Yahoo! Sports: 5th (6th)
The strategy of the Rams rushing to the line, allowing Sean McVay to relay audibles to Jared Goff before the helmet communication turns off at 15 seconds, is fascinating. Not that McVay needs even more praise, but that’s the kind of “why didn’t we think of that first?” strategy you expect from New England.
Pro Football Talk: 5th (6th)
Maybe they’ll fill the Coliseum for a playoff game. Or maybe not.
Sports Illustrated’s MMQB: 5th (6th)
USA Today: 5th (7th)
The last time this franchise reached eight victories, George W. Bush was in the White House, and Jared Goff was only in the seventh grade.