NFL Power Rankings: Rams in Top 5?
The NFL Draft is over and for the most part, free agents have picked their new homes for 2022. It's the time of the NFL offseason to speculate wildly on things like schedule predictions and team power rankings.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked every team and categorized them into tiers, and the Los Angeles Rams were mentioned near the top in the "true contenders" tier.
"The defending Super Bowl Champions are already being disrespected! Before we go overboard, remember that the Rams were the No. 4 seed a year ago and needed Matthew Stafford to up his play from an 80.7 regular season PFF grade to 89.5 in the postseason to go on the run that they did.
"The Rams also lost critical parts of the roster, as Robert Woods, Odell Beckham Jr., Sebastian Joseph-Day and Von Miller now play elsewhere. The Rams added Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner to help offset those losses, but there’s a good chance that, at best, they have taken a sideways step in an offseason where several contenders got better."
Los Angeles has obviously lost some talent after the successful 2021 Super Bowl run, as linebacker Von Miller has changed addresses to Buffalo, Darious Williams will be playing in Jacksonville, and it's possible that the recovering wideout Odell Beckham Jr. plays elsewhere next season.
Some big names remain, like quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp, and defensive standouts Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. And some additions have been made, like receiver Allen Robinson and linebacker Bobby Wagner.
But as we stand two-plus months away from the beginning of the regular season, a Super Bowl repeat seems difficult, especially with the league's toughest schedule ahead of them.
You can follow Timm Hamm on Twitter at @IndyCarTim
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