NFL Power Rankings: Rams Too High?
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.
