NFL Power Rankings: Rams Too High?

The Los Angeles Rams were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season. Will that change this year?

Jeremy Brener | Sep 9, 2023

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Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams enter the season with hope that this year will end better than last.

A year ago, expectations were high with the Rams after coming off a Super Bowl victory. But now ... they aren't even seen as a playoff team.

Sports Illustrated agrees, placing the Rams at No. 17 in its power rankings before Week 1.

"This is a team breaking in new players and expecting really young talent to act much older than their birth certificates," SI writes. "It can either create a fantastic kind of momentum or lead to some real ugliness. Do I think Sean McVay will let it get ugly? No. But, do we put a kind of unnecessarily weighty pressure on a guy who is human like the rest of us? Hell yeah."

While the Rams aren't the same as the team that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy 18 months ago, they are capable of making noise.

Coach Sean McVay is one of the brighter minds in the league, and if the Rams can stay healthy, there's no reason why they couldn't make some noise in a very wide-open NFC. The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are seen as the top teams in the conference, but there's a seat at the table for a team like the Rams to sneak into the playoff picture and give one of these favorites a challenge.

The Rams' season begins Sunday when they travel to face the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. at Lumen Field.

Published Sep 9, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.