The Los Angeles Rams got back on the winning side of things in Week 7, but NFL experts still aren't sold on this team.
A win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders doesn't look as great on paper coming off a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, so the Rams will need to prove they can sustain a win streak before experts see them as a top team again.
Every outlet we pulled had the Rams ranked outside the top-10 heading into Week 8. The highest the Rams ranked was No. 12, while they were as low as No. 16 to one outlet
L.A. takes on the crosstown Chargers in Week 8, which might not do much to quell concerns from the crowd if the Rams pull off the win.
Here's the full power rankings roundup for Week 8.
USA Today Sports: 13
The Rams are who we thought they were − that's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their … well for one week anyway.
ESPN: 12
The Rams traded four picks for McDuffie and made him -- at the time -- the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. He made an immediate impact for a team that struggled at the position last season. Although McDuffie has missed the Rams' past two games because of a groin injury, he has allowed a 28.6% completion percentage in coverage this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That is the best of any player to be targeted at least 20 times.
CBS Sports: 16
The team we saw beat up the Raiders is the Dream Team we expected to see before the season. The run game is back.
FOX Sports: 12
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. It wasn’t just because of their win over the Raiders on Sunday. It was the way they raced out to a 28-3 lead, with some outstanding passing by QB Matthew Stafford and a strong, two-pronged rushing attack from Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Their defense is a little shaky at times, but their offense still has the goods. If only they could put it together for more than one game at a time.
Sports Illustrated: 13
There’s absolutely another gear from Blake Corum that we haven’t seen. And while it’s not the Sean McVay hidden weapon we’re waiting to see, it’s absolutely going to matter in January.
Yahoo Sports: 13
The Rams had their best game of the season Sunday. They let down a bit in the fourth quarter and gave the Raiders hope for a comeback, but the story was the 28-6 lead they built in the first half.
The Rams will be short on receivers, barring a much-needed trade, with Davante Adams out until perhaps late in the regular season. The offense might need to be reinvented as a run-first unit. We saw a bit of that Sunday. Kyren Williams rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Blake Corum had 93 yards and a touchdown (and had two others called back due to penalties) on 17 carries.
Bleacher Report: 16
Credit where it's due—after last week's debacle at home against the Cardinals, the Rams desperately needed this win, and they got it—thanks largely to a rushing attack that averaged over eight yards a carry.
But the Rams were supposed to be an unstoppable juggernaut destined to once again win a Super Bowl in their own stadium. And folks, win or no win Sunday, the Rams aren't that.
There are glimpses of that team—the Rams roared out to a 28-3 lead Sunday and were dominant in the first half. But after intermission the Rams stalled, finally scoring a knockout touchdown only after the Raiders had pulled within 10.
If the Rams get healthy, this could be the proverbial team no one wants to play in the postseason.
But we're only seeing flashes of that squad right now.
The Athletic: 15
Don’t look now, but the Rams could easily put together a four-game winning streak without batting an eyelash. After dispatching the Raiders on Sunday, their next three games are against the Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals, who have a combined record of 3-15-1. There is plenty of time for the Rams to turn their season around.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Week 8 power rankings: Rams still outside top-10 after win