The Los Angeles Rams (5-5) came out with a season-defining win on Sunday afternoon, taking down the New England Patriots 28-22 and contininuing to stay alive in the NFC west playoff race. After a flat Week 10 loss, the Rams responded positively with an offensive explosion and strong defensive play.
Four touchdown scores after last week's five field goal, 15 points performance. Quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed four touchdowns and veteran Cooper Kupp was the co-star with 106 yards and two scores. The defense had a pair of turnovers, including a game-sealing interception on the final drive.
The Rams have been on a hot streak of late, winning three of their last four games to return to 5-5 after a 1-4 start to the year. Ever heard the story of the tortoise and the hare? This Rams is showing signs of last year's squad that won seven of their last eight to sneak into a Wild Card game.
Where do the Rams rank entering their Week 12 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles?
SI: No. 13
Connor Orr gave the Rams one of the biggest jumps in his rankings this week, moving up eight spots from No. 21. He focused on the dominance of Stafford over the past several weeks as he has 10 touchdown passes in his last four games.
"I’m not saying this to be snarky, but there’s nothing about Matthew Stafford that screams blitz him more than any team in the NFL and see what happens," Orr wrote. "Stafford is a vet, still sneaky athletic and has a cannon alongside a deep roster of cerebral wide receivers. New England sent extra rushers against Stafford on 63% of his throws. The Patriots’ final stat line? Four QB hits. No sacks."
On SI: No. 18
The Rams handled business against a lesser opponent with a bounce-back performance over the Patriots on a short week. Four touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford and two takeaways by the defense keep this team in contention for the NFC West.
NFL.com: No. 19
Eric Edholm bumped the Rams up two spots from No. 21 and is not crowning the Rams as playoff team just yet. Holding a .500 record with seven games to play, the Rams will need to go on another improbable run at the end of the year to play some extra football.
Their playoff chances are hovering around 14 percent, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves," Edholm wrote. "But if Matthew Stafford and the passing game can have that kind of confidence and effectiveness, the Rams are a tough team to beat. (We’ll overlook yet another slow start for just a minute.) Puka Nacua's deving TD was terrific. Stafford’s throw to Colby Parkinson was just dirty. Granted, the Patriots defense has been more bad than good this season, and the Rams had some shaky moments of their own on defense and special teams. But they’ll take a zero-turnover, four-TD performance most weeks. The Dolphins loss still stings, but it was important to win this one to give them a change at the postseason."
NBCSN: No. 15
Mike Florio brought the Rams up just one spot from No.16, but is confident in the Rams' ability to win the division. Their success hangs in the balance of their impact starters staying on the field, something that they have struggled with through the first 10 games.
"If they get a little healthier, they could take the NFC West." Florio wrote.
CBS Sports: No. 18
Pete Prisco did not adjust the Rams' ranking from a week ago. They stay at No. 18 for the second-straight week and did not impressive Prisco enough to advance. He is also confident that the Rams have a real chance to play some extra football in January.
"They bounced back from the loss to the Dolphins with a tough road victory at New England," Prisco wrote. "They are in the thick of the division race."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Where Do the Rams Rank Entering Week 12?.