St. Louis Rams Power Rankings Roundup: Heading Into Week 3

Sep 14, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) celebrates as time expires in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. St. Louis Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, we did our best avoid Overreaction Monday, which saw the St. Louis Rams magically drop from a middle-of-the-road squad to (apparently) the bottom of the barrel in the eyes of a majority of analysts. Stepping back, it is not difficult to understand why there would be such a volatile change, with the Rams being completely dominated by a Minnesota Vikings team that most did not view as “intimidating” heading into the regular season.

This week, to some extent, the St. Louis Rams made up for their opening week transgressions, pulling out a semi-impressive win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in Austin Davis’ first regular season start in the NFL. Considering that the Rams are now tied for 2nd-second in the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks (1-1) and San Francisco 49ers (1-1), did they make it out of the 30-range in this week’s Power Rankings?

NFL.com: 28th (Previously: 31st)

"Strange football game to play in, strange football game to win. Bilbo had a better chance at taking on Smaug than Austin Davis had of winning this one, and yet, the kid delivered. Next up: the Cowboys. Let’s hope the Rams tackle DeMarco Murray this time around."

Bleacher Report: 30th (Previously: 31st)

"With Austin Davis at quarterback, the St. Louis Rams took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and pulled off an exciting win as the minutes ticked off in the fourth quarter. Davis’ first start in the NFL led to a win, but how good are the Rams?With Chris Long out and Tavon Austin injured during the game, Davis was 22-of-29 for 235 yards and led the team on a game-winning drive. Davis gives the team an exciting element at the position, and he’s utilizing the talent around him well while standing behind a much-improved offensive line.The Rams play in the NFL’s toughest division, so we’ll see if they’re the real deal or not very soon. But a Week 2 win has to feel good for a team with so many injuries."

ESPN: 28th (Previously: 32nd)

"Elias tells us the Rams snapped a 12-game losing streak in road openers, the longest in NFL history. Can anyone stop Austin Davis and Greg Zuerlein (four field goals)?"

Fox Sports: 29th (Previously: 29th)

"Austin Davis grabbed his first career NFL victory in a win that was aided by the strong play of his offensive line and the defensive line. Rookie defensive lineman Aaron Donald showed why he picked up so much offseason buzz by causing fits for the Bucs and racking up a sack."

So, it doesn’t appear as though anyone outside of Rams Camp was impressed with the St. Louis victory last week. In fact, based on the rankings, it seems like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were heavily penalized for losing to the “lowly” Rams and their third-string quarterback. Will another win versus a hot-and-cold Dallas Cowboys team be enough to get the St. Louis Rams out of the Power Rankings doghouse? Guess we will find out this week…