St. Louis Rams Power Rankings Roundup: Week 9

For a while, we stopped posting the weekly Power Rankings changes, in an effort to push away doubters and focus on the team’s improvement. However, after a eye-opening, albeit ultimately heartbreaking, performance by the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football, we were genuinely curious how the team would be viewed at the midpoint of the season. Unlike the dominating performance against the Texans, where the booing fans stole a headline that was already buried among the other “early Sunday” games, no one can ignore what they say in prime time on Monday Night. So, how do the Rams stack up, even with the loss?

ESPN: 25th (Last Week: 27th)

"Robert Quinn and Chris Long combined for six sacks against the suspect Seattle line Monday night. The Rams sacked Russell Wilson a career-high seven times."

Bleacher Report: 18th (Last Week: 18th)

"You have to give the St. Louis Rams credit for playing the Seattle Seahawks down to the final seconds, even in a losing effort. The play of the defense was solid all night, and even on offense there were glimmers of hope. But the end result wasn’t quite enough.Blame Kellen Clemens, who just isn’t very good at quarterback. Blame offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and his play-calling. Why anyone would choose a fade route against Brandon Browner—who is 6’4″—is beyond questionable.The Rams have talent, and the Robert Quinn-led defense will keep things interesting, but this team is going nowhere fast without better quarterback play."

Fox Sports: 27th (Last Week: 27th)

"Somebody block Robert Quinn!"

NFL.com: 23rd (Last Week: 22nd)

"Win, lose or draw, the Rams have found themselves a football player in Zac Stacy. Though he didn’t play much until starting in Week 5, the rookie still could end up with 1,000 yards on the season; he’d need just 652 in the second half. Considering how much Stacy was used Monday night (26 carries for 134 yards), he has a great shot to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year."

Pro Football Talk: 25th (Last Week: 27th)

"We’d call it a moral victory if Jerry Jones hadn’t ruined the term."

Well, the Rams could certainly be ranked significantly worse, right? In fairness, a slightly overall raise in the rankings following a loss on national television isn’t necessarily a “good thing” for a team that was supposed to challenge for an NFC Wild Card spot this season. However, with Kellen Clemens leading the St. Louis Rams’ already-stagnant offense, we should take all the “moral victories” we can, at least for the time being.