LA Rams must make believers in the NFL all over again

The LA Rams are indeed a brand new team, facing a brand new schedule, in a brand new NFL season. While the LA Rams fans remain enchanted with the afterglow of a hard-earned Super Bowl LVI victory, the Rams organization does not have that luxury.

The coaches, the players, and the front office had to put all of that behind them the day after the LA Rams victory parade. While the memory is still a warm and fuzzy feeling, that will soon fade as the Rams suit up and compete on the gridiron once more.  To commemorate the achievement of winning their first Los Angeles Super Bowl, the Rams will conduct a banner hanging ceremony in the rafters before their Thursday Night Football contest against the Buffalo Bills.

But that ceremony has little effect on the Rams’ Week 1 Power Rankings. In fact, for all intents and purposes, the Rams’ debut as the fourth-ranked NFL team is a bit surprising. Rhetoric from the national media has embraced the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers as clear contenders this season. The Kansas City Chiefs are perennial preseason favorites, as are the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

LA Rams ranking is a bit underwhelming

But there are some surprising entrants into the Top-10 from CBS Sports NFL Insider Pete Prisco, as shown below:

Of course, it’s all speculative conjecture, and the LA Rams have a huge say in how the NFL narrative shapes up after hosting the Top-Ranked Buffalo Bills.

An opening win for the Rams could do a great deal for the entire 2022 season outlook. While the team has no ‘easy’ games this year, winning in Week 1 would certainly reframe the upside of the LA Rams team. In many estimations, the Buffalo Bills are expected to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVII.  For that matter, some have pointed to the Bills-Rams Week 1 contest as a preview of the upcoming NFL Championship Game.

I don’t know about all that. I do know that the emotional tide will ride awfully high for the LA Rams on TNF. Will we see the best that the Rams have to offer? I think so, at least to the point that the Rams will open the season with a victory.