Where Do Rams Rank Entering Week 16?

The Los Angeles Rams are putting together another classic late-season surge as winners of three-straight and seven of their last nine. Where do they rank heading into their Week 16 road battle against the New York Jets?

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay jogs on the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) have played their best football over the past three weeks and are doing what is absolutely necessary to win. They hold a three-game win streak and a 7-2 run in their last nine games has clawed them all the way to first place the NFC West.

With just three games left in the regular season in a division with two teams tied at the top with the same record, every game and every snap is make or break. The Rams have executed to perfection the past few weeks and will need to do it on the east coast on an early start time this week.

Where do the Rams rank entering their Week 16 matchup with the New York Jets?

On SI: No. 10

Connor Orr has settled on the Rams being a top 10 team after their 12-6 win over their division rival San Francisco 49ers this past Thursday. It is by far the highest ranking the team has received all year and are defintely deserving of the spot from what they have put on tape in recent weeks.

"This, I thought, was not only a defining moment for the Rams this season but a big confidence booster for Chris Shula, the team’s defensive coordinator," Orr wrote. "The lowest point total of the season comes against a 49ers team that had its signature play choked out by a good old fashioned edge-setting effort from this defense? I care that it was a rain game and we need to take that into account, but how do these back-to-back wins not put everyone on a different level emotionally?"

ESPN: No. 13

Sarah Barshop advanced the Rams just one spot and focused on the Rams' biggest improvement this past week, being the defensive front sevens impact and production. Barshop mentions veteran defensive tackle, captain Kobie Turner after his two sacks last Thursday.

"There was always going to be a period of transition for the Rams, who lost Aaron Donald in the offseason and used their first two draft picks on outside linebacker Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske after the defense struggled to start the season, the front seven has been a bright spot in the team's 7-2 run," Barshop wrote. "Against the 49ers, Kobie Turner played one of his best games of the season with five pressures and two sacks on 26 pass rushes (19.2% pressure rate). According to NFL Next Gen Stats, four of his pressures and both his sacks came against double teams."

NFL.com: No. 14

Eric Edholm brought the Rams up one spot from 15th this week and spoke on the diversity of winning methods for this team over the past two weeks. Edholm also brings a major divisional injury to light as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith may have a lasting injury that he suffered last Sunday.

"In a five-day span, the Rams won games by two-points at home and six points on the road, and in the most disparate ways you could ever dream up: one perfect-conditions offensive showcase, one bad-weather field-goal fest," Edholm wrote. "No matter. The Rams are well-coached, and they can win games in a variety of ways now. They've proven it. Seattle's loss to the Packers dropped the Seahawks below the Rams in both the official playoff picture odds and in the unofficial eye test. The Rams just look like a more dangerous team right now, especially if Geno Smith's injury is concerning or lasting. The 'Hawks-Rams debate could be settled in Week 18, when the teams face off at SoFi Stadium. But it also won’t be shocking to me if the Rams are significantly favored heading into that game."

CBS Sports: No. 11

Pete Prisco bumped the Rams up two spots, nearly inside the top 10 on his latest power rankings. He summed up the Rams success mentioning how impressive Sean McVay's performance has been once again this year after starting 1-4 and climbing all the way back to lead the division.

"They now lead the NFC West, which is amazing," Prisco wrote. "Sean McVay deserves a ton of credit for getting this team to this position."

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