SI Power Rankings: Where do the Rams sit Ahead of Week 2?
The 2021 NFL season is officially taking its shape. Every team in the league has a win or loss next to their name after the closure of Week 1 games last weekend. Therefore, a shuffle in the pecking order — for better or worse – has reconfigured the placing of 32 NFL teams.
Sports Illustrated's MMQB team released its power rankings Tuesday morning, reflecting on the results from Week 1. Generally speaking, the opening week is a time where the power rankings may see the most dramatic movement among all the weeks. The process of figuring out which teams are for real and which teams are fraudulent is still being discovered.
Here's how Sports Illustrated ranked the Rams ahead of Week 2:
Rams power rank: No. 1
Last week: Win vs. Chicago, 34–14
Next week: at Indianapolis
You don't have to look far to find the Rams. Los Angeles holds the top spot in SI's power rankings after one week of play. With so much anticipation leading up to quarterback Matthew Stafford's debut, his expectations were held to an astronomical level. Meanwhile, he delivered just as expected.
Stafford led the Rams to a 34-14 convincing victory over the Chicago Bears. Stafford, the team's new prize possession, finished the day completing passes at a 77-percent clip, 321 yards and three touchdowns. He was just as advertised.
SI's Connor Orr stated the following in the latest power rankings release:
"The NFL’s greatest matchup generating offense now has Matthew Stafford as its pilot. Sean McVay’s NFL fever dream has finally come to life, and while it was a somewhat muted drubbing of the middling Bears, Stafford’s ability to hit all corners of the field does not bode well for a league hoping to contain him. This is the best team in the league right now by a razor thin margin."
Orr says the Rams are the top team in the NFL, but based on the rankings, L.A. has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs nipping at their heels. The Chiefs and Bucs were both listed as top three teams in SI's preseason power rankings and after a first look at what they did on the field in Week 1, they haven’t wavered off the initial projection.
The Rams will face the Colts in Week 2 at Lucus Oil Stadium where they look to stack another win to move to 2-0 on the season.
Continue Reading:
- Kelly Stafford says Football Hadn't Been fun for Matthew in a Long Time
- Watch: Matthew Stafford Attends Dodgers Game for Clayton Kershaw
- How the Rams Plan to use Darrell Henderson, Sony Michel Going Forward
- Rams NT Sebastian Joseph-Day Suffers Knee Injury in Season Opener
- Rams Week 1 Takeaways: How the Defense Performed vs. Bears
Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.
