St. Louis Rams on the rise in Week 8 Power Rankings

The St. Louis Rams came through in a big way last Sunday with a dominant 24-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Once again, lead by rookie running back Todd Gurley and his 128 rushing yards and his first two touchdowns as an NFL player, the Rams put the cap on a solid performance. It wasn’t all Gurley however as the St. Louis defense stepped up in a big way. A fumble recovery for a touchdown in the early parts of the first quarter and four forced fumbles in total allowed the Rams to control the game from the on set.

One major concern though was yet another slow start from the offense that allowed the Browns to stick around longer than most would have preferred. The sputtering offense leaves some doubt, but overall consensus is the Rams are getting better.

ESPN: Ranked 12th (Last Week 18)

The aforementioned Gurley stole the show with his third straight game with at least 150-yards from scrimmage propelling an otherwise mundane offense. Gurley would also find the end zone twice agains the Browns for his first two NFL touchdowns with the looks of many more to come. Maybe more exciting for Rams’ fans was the dominant performance from their defense. Missing defensive end Chris Long and linebacker Alec Ogletree haven’t slowed this unit even one bit as they now rank tied for second in the NFL with 23 sacks. (Division Rivals: Seattle 9, Arizona 6, San Francisco 27)

Pete Prisco at CBSSPorts.com: Ranked 12th (Last Week 18)

The win against Cleveland pulls St. Louis to an even 3-3 on the year and with their 2-0 division record, makes them Wild Card contenders. Gurley looks to be the every down back head coach Jeff Fisher imagined he could be when he was drafted 10th overall in the spring and Rams fans are rejoicing. Can’t imagine too many people look back and make to much of an argument for an offensive lineman after Gurley’s dominant start. (Division Rivals: Seattle 10, Arizona 7, San Francisco 25)

Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) carries the ball past Cleveland Browns cornerback Tramon Williams (22) to score a touchdown during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 24-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Schneier at FOXSports.com: Ranked 12th (Last Week 11)

A win against the Browns isn’t worth much to the folks over at FOX Sports as they drop the Rams a spot in the Week 8 rankings. The praise for Gurley continues to flow however and a call for more passes his way is abundant. With such dismal passing game to begin with the possibility of Gurley on a catch an run might be the spark St. Louis is looking for. But isn’t that Tavon Austin’s job? (Division Rivals: Seattle 11, Arizona 6, San Francisco 27)

Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com: Ranked 11th (Last Week 11)

Florio has the Rams holding fast at number 11, which is pretty good considering it was a win agains the lowly Browns that returned this team to .500 on the season. Faith and confidence will be hard to come by for this St. Louis squad as it has squandered away chance after chance in the last four to five years to finally break through. This could be the year for a postseason appearance and wins against the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings in the next two weeks will go a long way in doing so. (Division Rivals: Seattle 15, Arizona 8, San Francisco 28)

Brent Sobleski at Bleacher Report: Ranked 15th (Last Week 18)

Consistency is key and the Rams have been anything but consistent over the past seasons. A win agains the 49ers in Week 8 would be the first time this team has put together consecutive wins all season. It would also mark the first time the Rams were over .500 since 2013. Defense will take you places, but the offense needs to play their part as well, and Gurley alone won’t be enough. (Division Rivals: Seattle 11, Arizona 6, San Francisco 30)