Rams bottoming out in Week 14 Power Rankings

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The St. Louis Rams had an opportunity to salvage a shred of respectability this season by beating the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday to stay undefeated in the NFC West. Instead, they served up a blowout that saw the team put up only three points and watched a once dominant defense play almost 40 minutes of football. Now the Rams will battle themselves down the stretch and jockey for a what will most certainly be a top-10 draft selection. The only question that remains is how high?

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ESPN: Ranked 28th (Last Week 26)

Offense has been the achilles heal of this St. Louis team all year. The team has only cracked 20-points on four occasions. The last two games saw them score just 10-points combined. All this plays a significant role on the effectiveness of the defense. A unit that will still finish in the upper echelon of the league, has only been hampered by poor offensive performances week in and week out. It will always be a year of “what if” for a defense that could have contested for the top spot. (Division Rivals: Seattle 6, Arizona 2, San Francisco 26)

Pete Prisco at CBSSports.com: Ranked 25th (Last Week 23)

The departure of offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti seems like a sign of things to come. Who will be next? Cignetti may have gotten the short end of the stick on this one, but he was the face of the worst offense in the league. The Rams ranked dead last in passing yards per game with 178, and 31st in the league with 15.8 points per game. Changes needed to be made, but with so much of the season already gone, just not sure now was the best time to make those changes. (Division Rivals: Seattle 7, Arizona 2. San Francisco 26)

Dec 6, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) attempts a pass under pressure against the Arizona Cardinals the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com: Ranked 27th (Last Week 23)

Losing four straight is painful, but trying to figure out how this team won four of it’s first seven games just to blow it all away is even more painful. With three winnable games in the their final four, one has to wonder if this team has any fight left. Head coach Jeff Fisher has to be feeling the heat now, but given the atmosphere of his recent press conferences, it would appear he may be back in 2016. (Division Rivals: Seattle 7, Arizona 4, San Francisco 24)

FOXSports.com: Ranked 27th (Last Week 22)

A team clearly trending in the wrong direction needs to take a serious look in the mirror. With a defense that should be in the top five of the NFL is dragged down by an offense that is historically bad. The firing of Frank Cignetti is the results of some unfortunate circumstances, but the real issues lies in the poor play of quarterbacks Case Keenum and Nick Foles. Toss in a patchwork offensive line and you have a recipe for disaster. (Division Rivals: Seattle 6, Arizona 2, San Francisco 19)