Week 2 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Where Are The St. Louis Rams After The Win Over The Washington Redskins

September 16, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) sacks Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Typically, a win for the St. Louis Rams does not generate much buzz in the power rankings roundup. More likely than not, the win will get attributed to the opposing team’s lack of preparation against their low tier opponent. If it is a close game, the win will likely be overshadowed by something other than the final score, for example, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned a 47 yard tying field goal into a 62 yarder. It is something Rams fans have grown accustom to in recent years, especially playing in the poorly-thought-0f NFC West. So, how did St. Louis far this week after shutting down the RGIII passing game and claiming an the upset win to go 1-1 (along with 20 other teams)…

ESPN.com has finally shown the Rams some respect, moving them up by 4  slots to the 23rd spot. Surprisingly, RGIII and the Redskins took a pretty hard shot, falling down 5 pegs from Week 1, after skyrocketing 11 spots last week.

"Sam Bradford stared down the RG3 hype, and completed all nine of his third-down pass attempts in Week 2. (Sando)"

NFL.com, who typically beat up the Rams on a weekly basis, has given St. Louis credit where the credit it due. This week, they are ranked 21st in the NFL, which is an 8 slot increase over last week. They mention the spike was somewhat influenced by the lack of respect given the the Rams after their narrow loss to Detroit last week.

"Football Gods are like those found in “Clash of the Titans” (the original, not the awful re-CGI-make). They whimsically toy with teams — or Harry Hamlin– almost indiscriminately. Take the Ford Field clock operator doing in Jeff Fisher’s Ramson the season’s opening Sunday … only to karmically spin their Week 2 fate by influencing Josh Morgan to throw Sunday’s game away. St. Louis deserves this hike in rankings, too, as we thought the narrow loss to the Lions might’ve been a fluke. Evidently, it was not."

Brian Billick, over at Fox Sports, gives the Rams a respectable ranking, but finishes off his analysis with an unnecessary shot at Danny Amendola. He is the “No. 3” on any other team? He leads the league in receptions and is third in receiving yards…

"The Rams were surprising in a Week 1 loss to the Lions and then followed it up with a win over a high-riding Redskins team. They looked fast on defense and much more capable on offense than I have previously credited. Still, Danny Amendola is a No. 3 receiver, not a No. 1, for almost every other team in the league."

CBSSports’ Pete Prisco has finally unlocked the Rams from the shackles at the bottom of the NFL. He moves the Rams up 7 spots to number 22 in the power ranking, sandwiched between the recently beaten Redskins and the 0-2 Saints. Confusing how that makes sense, but he does show St. Louis some love.

"If Sam Bradford can continue to play like he did against the Redskins, the Rams will be a tough team to beat. They might be a year away, but they will compete."

The boys over at ProFootballTalk.com gave a humor filled ranking, which has the Rams sitting at 23rd in the league. They poke fun at the hype surround the Washington Redskins following their Week 1 performance, and hint a little at the underperformance of the Rams in 2011

"Rams:  This team will be matching its 2011 win total, soon."

Lastly, Bleacher Report has the riding in the 24th spot, but gives undue credit to the Redskins by claiming Josh Morgan’s penalty lost the game for the ‘Skins. “Had it not been for Josh Morgan’s penalty, we might be talking about a different Redskins team right now”… Maybe a shot at over time, but a 47 yard field goal is nothing to raise your nose at, ask Stephen Gostkowski and the New England Patriots.

"This looks like the Rams team we were expecting to see a season ago. Sam Bradford has looked sharp to start the year."