The Los Angeles Rams are no longer in the driver’s seat for both the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the top of the NFC West.
They’re in the playoffs — that was clinched in Week 15 — but the Rams’ path to an easier playoff schedule is long longer in their own hands.
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The loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, meanwhile, also made their standing among the NFL’s elite a bit murkier, too. Yes, even though the loss came in a bizarre overtime fashion against a heated rival, the Rams are no longer the consensus top team in the NFL.
Some experts still see the Rams are the best team, but there are a few that have them ranked lower in their Week 17 power rankings.
We know they just lost, their second defeat in four games. We know they’ve fallen from the NFC’s projected No. 1 playoff seed to its sixth in a matter of days. We know they just fired their special teams coordinator − perhaps an overdue move given how that phase of the game has legitimately cost LA three more wins this season. Put all that aside. The Rams still have the presumptive MVP in Matthew Stafford, a head coach as good or better than any in the league and a roster that can win anywhere in any variety of ways.
[Terrance] Ferguson, a second-round pick, joined a crowded group of tight ends with the Rams. He was a healthy scratch in Weeks 3 and 4 but was active in Week 5 while starter Tyler Higbee was dealing with a hip injury. Since then, Ferguson has 9 catches for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has been especially important as the offense has found its identity in 13 personnel (three tight ends).
It’s not often Super Bowl favorites fire a coordinator with only two games left, but that’s what the Rams did with special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn after losing the Thursday night thriller. Los Angeles ranks last in the NFL in expected points added from special teams, and it’s one of the few areas that could hold this team back.
The Rams might forever regret that loss at Seattle. They were a near lock when they intercepted Sam Darnold, leading 30-14 with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter. As we know, the Seahawks had a historic comeback to win. With that, the Rams went from having a comfortable lead in the race for the No. 1 seed to having just a 19% shot at the top seed, via DVOA. It’s not like the Rams couldn’t win three straight road games to win the NFC out of a wild-card spot, but that’s a lot different than winning two home games as the No. 1 seed.
Matthew Stafford played like an MVP (457 yards, 3 TDs), but a second OT loss to a division opponent really complicates the Super Bowl path for this powerful team.
The Rams remain at our top spot despite one of the strangest and most electric losses I’ve seen in a long time. And, there’s this: while I don’t think PFF grades should be a lone decider in any type of argument, the fact that, when you remove quarterback play from the equation and this team is by far the best in every other major category … that’s significant.
The Los Angeles Rams should be kicking themselves for failing to put away the rival Seahawks on Thursday night. They dominated that game for much of the night before blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead.
The Rams were ultimately done in by poor punt coverage and an inability to stop Seattle on two-point attempts, including one of the wackiest two-point outcomes we’ve ever seen.
While Thursday’s miscues may end up costing L.A. the NFC’s No. 1 seed, there are mistakes from which it can learn. This is still a Super Bowl-caliber team, and if Thursday’s loss snapped the Rams into playoff mode, the rest of the conference could be in trouble.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Week 17 power rankings: Where are the Rams after OT loss?