The Rams suffered their first real lopsided loss of the season on Sunday when they were blown out by the Cowboys, 43-20. Everything went wrong for Los Angeles, from Matthew Stafford’s injury to an inability to stop the Cowboys offense to issues on special teams.
With Stafford’s status uncertain, it’s hard to view the Rams as a true playoff contender at 3-5, but they’re obviously not out of the mix yet with nine games remaining.
Here’s a look at power rankings from across the internet and where they have the Rams listed. They’re as high as No. 16 and as low as No. 24, so the range is pretty wide.
Touchdown Wire: No. 16
The Rams got rammed by the Cowboys, and Matthew Stafford has a sprained UCL (I just found out what that was this week). Lord save them if he misses any time.
USA TODAY: No. 16
USA TODAY moved the Rams down three spots from No. 13, also keeping them in the top half of the NFL. A loss to the Packers this week will undoubtedly drop them into the bottom half, though.
Congratulations on the baby, Coach. Now let’s get Jordan John McVay back to .500.
ESPN: No. 19
The Rams stood pat in ESPN’s power rankings, remaining at No. 19 despite losing by 23 points.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has a completion percentage of 59.7%, which ranks 30th in the NFL ahead of Zach Wilson (58.3%) and Jordan Love (57.7%). It is his worst completion percentage through Week 8 since his rookie season in 2009. Stafford has kept the 3-5 Rams in games, but he injured his thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. Stafford has an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb and is day-to-day, coach Sean McVay said Monday. — Sarah Barshop
The Athletic: No. 18
The Athletic didn’t penalize the Rams for losing to Dallas, keeping them at No. 18 for the second week in a row.
Something scary (for them): Turning back into a pumpkin
After a surprisingly OK start, the Rams have lost three of their last four, beating only the Cardinals in that span. Matthew Stafford left Sunday’s game with a thumb injury, and if he’s out for very long, Los Angeles is in real trouble. Leading rusher Kyren Williams has already gone on injured reserve and won’t be eligible to return until at least Week 12.
CBS Sports: No. 20
CBS Sports moved the Rams down from No. 17 to 20 after their latest loss, noting the tough time the defense had against Dallas on Sunday afternoon.
For the first time this season, they got blown out as the Cowboys beat them up Sunday. The defense had a rough day.
The Ringer: No. 17
The Ringer dropped the Rams only one spot to No. 17, which is the lowest they’ve been since coming in at No. 19 in Week 1.
After absorbing a 43-20 shellacking at the hands of the Cowboys on Sunday, L.A. has now lost three of its last four games and fallen well behind in the NFC West race. What’s worse, quarterback Matthew Stafford is now injured, suffering an injury to his right thumb in the loss to Dallas. Stafford could potentially miss substantial time, but even if he does return to play next week, it’s likely that he’ll struggle to grip the football—and could see his performance plummet. The Rams, who are top-heavy and over-reliant on the performance of their star players, just might not have the depth or talent to weather this type of injury. —Danny Kelly
ProFootballTalk: No. 24
ProFootballTalk isn’t high on this Rams team, especially after their latest loss. They fell from No. 20 to 24, the lowest of any site on this list.
Matthew Stafford held it together as long as he possibly could.
Bleacher Report: No. 22
The Rams were No. 18 in Bleacher Report’s power rankings last week but they’ve fallen four spots to No. 22 heading into Week 9.
There was a time when it appeared the Los Angeles Rams might be a team that could exceed expectations in 2023—modest though those expectations may have been. But the Rams have dropped three of their last four after getting waxed in Dallas Sunday, and they may have to move forward without their veteran quarterback.
