It wasn’t quite a case of one step forward, two steps back, but the Los Angeles Rams certainly didn’t help themselves in Monday night’s loss to the Miami Dolphins. After winning three in a row, they were held out of the end zone for 60 minutes and lost a frustrating one, 23-15.
Now at 4-5, their playoff hopes have taken a big hit. Had they beaten the Dolphins, they’d have been a half-game behind the Cardinals for the lead in the NFC West. Instead, they’re a game and a half back and Arizona already owns the tiebreaker with one more head-to-head matchup still to come.
The Rams’ three-game winning streak clawed them back into the top 15 of power rankings but Monday’s loss sank them a few spots. Here’s where they rank in various polls entering Week 11.
USA Today: 19th (last week: 15th)
ESPN: 18th (last week: 15th)
NFL.com: 21st (last week: 18th)
CBS Sports: 18th (last week: 15th)
Bleacher Report: 16th (last week: 15th)
ProFootballTalk: 16th (last week: 16th)
Yahoo Sports: 19th (last week: 15th)
The Athletic: 18th (last week: 17th)
FOX Sports: 21st (last week: 16th)
The Ringer: 14th (last week: 10th)
High: 14th – Low: 21st – Average: 18.0
Last week’s average ranking was 15.2, so the Rams dropped almost three spots. Most outlets didn’t move them down too far, with the biggest drop being five spots by FOX Sports, so it’s not as if they’ve plummeted out of the top 20 entirely.
Up next for Los Angeles is a Patriots team that’s sitting at 3-7 but is coming off a 19-3 win over the Bears on Sunday afternoon. The Rams should be able to beat New England, even on the road, but there are no guarantees in the NFL.