NFL power rankings: Rams only move up 1 spot after beating Bears
The Rams and Bears closed out Week 7 with a matchup on Monday Night Football, one between two teams that are in the hunt in their respective decisions. The Rams were one game worse than the Bears, but you’d never know that after watching their Week 7 tilt.
Los Angeles crushed Chicago 24-10, and the game wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. The Bears scored zero offensive touchdowns, had just 14 first downs and committed two turnovers. The Rams put up 371 yards despite only going 4-for-13 on third down and fumbling it once, but the offense didn’t have much trouble moving the ball throughout the night.
Despite their convincing 14-point win, the Rams barely moved in this week’s power rankings. Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire bumped them up one spot from No. 10 to 9, just ahead of the Colts. Here’s part of what Schofield wrote about L.A.’s performance.
The Bears dropped from No. 8 to 14, but the rest of the top 10 remained mostly unchanged.
Largely, the Rams answered that test. Buoyed by their defense and a bit of special teams, the Rams earned a hard-fought victory over the Chicago Bears in a game that matched up two teams facing some serious questions about their legitimacy. …
It was a statement win for a team that needed one given their schedule to date. Might this game ultimately have told us more about the Bears than the Rams? Perhaps. But for now, it is one to enjoy for Rams fans.
The Rams are right in the thick of the NFC West race, sitting only a half-game behind the division-leading Seahawks, who are 5-1. The Rams are also tied with the Cardinals and one game ahead of the 4-3 49ers.
A loss on Monday night would’ve dropped the Rams to last place in the division, so this was a huge victory. They still have five more NFC West games coming up in the second half of the season, so there will be a lot of movement in the division, but this was an important win against a good team.
