Without even playing a game, the Los Angeles Rams improved their playoff chances during their Week 9 bye. The Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers all lost while the Rams were off, bringing Los Angeles to within one game of the NFC West lead.
Where they didn’t improve, however, is in this week’s power rankings. Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire kept the Rams right where they were before the bye, slotting them in at No. 11.
That’s one spot ahead of the Raiders and one spot behind the Colts, while only two places behind the 6-3 Buccaneers. Here’s part of what Schofield wrote about the Rams.
The question facing the 5-3 Rams as they look to the second half of their season is this: Can Sean McVay learn from the lessons of the past?
If you think back to 2018, that version of the Rams offense was taking the football world by storm. McVay was viewed as a football genius, and Goff was miles removed from the player some considered a bust the year prior. But in the later half of that season, teams like the Lions and the Eagles and the Bears and ultimately the Patriots figured out how to play against that offense. Ignore all the eye candy, play quarters coverage and force Goff to work through reads.
The Rams will take on the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, their first game out of the bye. Seattle is coming off a 44-34 loss to the Bills, dropping Pete Carroll’s group from No. 3 in the power rankings down to No. 5. The Cardinals lost to Miami and consequently fell from No. 10 to 14.
The Rams may have benefitted from the week off and actually gained ground in the division, but they have to handle their business in the final eight weeks if they’re to make the playoffs.
