No one said it was going to be easy for the Rams to go into Charlotte and beat the Panthers. A blowout victory like the Rams’ last two season openers was almost out of the question, given the circumstances of having to go on the road and knock off some rust.
They ultimately escaped 30-27, heading back to Los Angeles with a 1-0 record.
Things don’t get any easier this week when they host the Saints at the Coliseum for a rematch of the NFC title game. Both teams are 1-0 and have their sights set on getting to the Super Bowl, making for a fantastic matchup between two NFC contenders.
In USA TODAY’s Week 2 power rankings, both teams are slotted in the top 10. The Saints sit at No. 4 – one spot lower than they began the season – and the Rams are No. 9, moving up one spot from last week.
9. Rams (10): Quite a start by LBs, Dante Fowler and Clay Matthews combining for three sacks while Cory Littleton tied for league lead with 14 tackles.
It wasn’t a resounding win, which limited the upward movement for the Rams in this week’s rankings, but there is one huge surprise: The Titans at No. 8. Yes, they looked like one of the better teams this weekend after blowing out the Browns, but they jumped 14 spots from No. 22 last week.
That’s a significant leap after just one game. The same goes for the Ravens, who moved up from No. 17 to 5 after crushing the lowly Dolphins.
