Week 5 Consensus NFL Power Rankings: Are Rams Contenders or Pretenders After Comeback Win?

The Los Angeles Rams may be 2-2, but there is still some growing concern about this team and what its ceiling is. Coming into the season, many saw them as Super Bowl contenders. While they haven’t been healthy, their early-season inconsistency has been glaring. Many saw them as contenders coming into the season, but through four weeks, they have mostly been pretenders.

On Sunday, the Rams only just got past an injured Philadelphia Eagles team that was without DeVonta Smith, while Saquon Barkley left early in the game as well.. Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson also didn’t play on the offensive line.

With 8:16 to play, the Rams had a 3.2 percent chance to win, and they somehow overcame the odds to come out on top 24-20. Quarterback Matthew Stafford led another fourth-quarter comeback and the two late touchdown drives were enough.

Still, how the Rams are winning is not sustainable. Stafford has thrown an interception in every game this season. He currently ranks 20th in EPA per pass and needs to be better, especially as the Rams get ready to play the Bills. Let’s take a look at how the media feels about the Rams in this week’s consensus power rankings.

ESPN - 7th

The Rams don’t move this week in ESPN’s Power Rankings and stay in the No. 7 slot after coming back from 10 points to beat the Eagles. Again, one of the biggest questions around this Rams team is its consistency. The Rams haven’t found a way to play for 60 minutes outside of their Week 2 win against a New York Giants team that was led by Jameis Winston for most of the game.

“The Rams have been inconsistent and missed significant players because of injuries, including Garrett (three games), Donald (one) and wide receiver Puka Nacua (two),” wrote ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “Los Angeles might not be playing like a Super Bowl contender right now, but it could be later in the season, especially once Garrett is back from knee surgery.”

Sports Illustrated: 6th

Following the win against the Eagles, the Rams are up one spot in Connor Orr’s rankings. Had the Rams beaten a full-strength Eagles team, they might have gotten more respect from the media. A win in Philadelphia on the road is nothing to gloss over, but for 52.5 minutes, the Rams looked like they were going to lose by multiple scores.

The Athletic: 5th

Only one ranking has the Rams inside the top five, and that’s The Athletic. The Rams are up three spots from No. 8 last week following their win over the Eagles. Still, despite moving into the top five, The Athletic also noted the concerns around this Rams team, specifically around Matthew Stafford.

“While the defense was great, what is going on with Matthew Stafford?” wrote The Athletic. “The defending MVP is completing just 61 percent of his passes and has six touchdowns to go with six interceptions.”

NFL.com - 13th

The Rams don’t move up at all in Nick Shook’s rankings on NFL.com. Shook still has major questions about this Rams team and it’s hard to blame him. Through three quarters, the Rams were staring 1-3 directly in the face. The season could have gone sideways with a loss in Philadelphia.

“For three quarters, serious, nearly existential questions began to build for these Rams. They’d fallen behind in Philadelphia and couldn’t get out of their own way offensively, raising the specter of a 1-3 start to a season that began with immense hype,” wrote Shook. “But Sean McVay’s squad proved something amid the chaos of a fourth-quarter comeback: L.A. is not going to lay down, no matter the odds. Matthew Stafford needs to be better, though.”

Pro Football Talk - 7th

Mike Florio has the Rams moving up in back-to-back weeks, but they remain just outside of the top five. The Rams could just as easily be 1-3 as they could be 3-1. A 2-2 record feels right as the Rams find their groove. If this team can find some consistency, they’ll be one of the tougher teams in the NFL, but they have a long way to go.

Fox Sports - 7th

Through the first four weeks, the Rams have had one of the more grueling schedules in the NFL. They’ve played two teams inside the top 10 in the consensus power rankings. According to DVOA, the Rams have had the sixth-hardest schedule to start the year. It won’t get easier this week as the Rams play the Bills. The Rams play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7 and they look like a good team. However, the schedule does lighten up a little bit after this week. Again, if the Rams can hang around and then find their rhythm heading into their bye week, they’ll set themselves up well for December and January.

“If you ignore the first 52 and a half minutes this past Sunday in Philly, the Rams looked great,” wrote Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano. “Actually, even without Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, their defense was terrific all game long. It just took more than two hours for Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay’s offense to get moving in the right direction. Once it did, L.A. reminded everyone why it’s still a serious Super Bowl contender.”

CBS Sports - 9th

The Rams were just clinging to a spot inside the top 10 last week in Pete Prisco’s rankings. With the win against the Eagles, the Rams are still just hanging on to a spot in the top 10, but are up to No. 9. If the Rams can beat the Bills this week, it will certainly solidify their spot among the contenders.

This Week’s Opponent: Buffalo Bills

On Monday Night Football, the Rams will host a Bills team that is coming of a loss in Week 4 and hasn’t looked as sharp the last two weeks. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers despite turning the ball over four times and just allowed 29 points to a New England Patriots offense that hadn’t looked good in the first three games.

However, that only means that the Bills are going to come into Monday night focused and with something to prove. The Bills rank fifth in the consensus power rankings, with an average ranking of 4.86. If the Bills play a clean game, they are one of the best teams in the NFL, but they are susceptible to mistakes.

The question will be whether the Rams can make them pay for those mistakes. Through four games, the Bills have a -2 turnover differential. However, the Rams are at -5. When these two teams played in 2024, it was arguably the game of the year as the Rams won 44-42. Monday Night Football could contain some fireworks.

The Grisak 10: Ranking the NFL's Best Teams After Week 4

Through four weeks, it’s still difficult to place the top 10. The Vikings are undefeated, but they are the 12th-worst 4-0 team in NFL history according to DVOA. The Raiders may be 3-1, but are they a team we can trust, or are they just last year’s Colts? The next four weeks should separate the contenders from the pretenders.

NFL Power Rankings — Pro Football Network

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