It should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles Rams dropped among many expert power rankings heading into Week 4. The team dropped a winnable away game against the Denver Broncos and can't seem to figure themselves out after such a promising offseason.
Injuries have played a large role in this debacle. Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett remain sidelined, and other role players are banged up across the roster as well. This has exposed the Rams' most glaring weakness heading into the year: depth. And now, they'll head to Philadelphia to take on an Eagles team that was just decimated in Week 3.
Here's a roundup of the Rams' power ranking situations heading into Week 4.
USA Today: 6
They probably got jobbed Sunday night, their 13 penalties − including five in the final
two minutes − the most against them in Sean McVay's 10-year tenure. They still nearly won … without WR Puka Nacua … without OLB Myles Garrett … with DL Aaron Donald producing four tackles and two pressures in two games … with a 1-for-4 red-zone night. It's hardly time to panic here.
CBS Sports: 10
The Dream Team is 1-2 after three weeks. So much for cruising to a Super Bowl. They need Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua back in the worst way.
The Athletic: 8
Matthew Stafford threw a pick six and another interception on the goal line in the final five minutes Sunday, but if you live by the gunslinger, sometimes you die by the gunslinger. Especially when the gunslinger doesn’t have Puka Nacua. Stafford is the only player in league history to total at least 20,000 passing yards for two teams. Overall, Stafford is sixth in NFL history with 65,388 career passing yards.
ESPN: 7
Despite missing part of training camp with a psoas injury, Nacua had an ADP of 9.0. But he has played only in Week 1 because of a groin injury, putting up 12.4 points in PPR leagues. On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the injury "has impacted [Nacua's] explosiveness." Last week, coach Sean McVay said that barring a setback, the expectation is that Nacua will be able to play in Week 4 against the Eagles.
Yahoo Sports: 6
Dropping the Rams even this far doesn't seem like it will age well. The Rams played on Sunday night at Denver, a team that is 16-4 in its last 20 games, and lost in the final minute after a bad defensive pass interference call. They were without two players who are arguably top 10 non-quarterbacks in the NFL, Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua. It was a reasonable loss. Check the Super Bowl betting odds: The Rams are still favorites at some books, or just behind the Bills. They're 1-2 but don't be fooled into thinking this isn't a very good team. The Rams will be just fine.
Still, 1-2 isn't how the Rams wanted to start. Even if the pass interference call was bad, the Rams were sloppy when it mattered.
FOX Sports: 9
Sports Illustrated: 7
I was skewered for this take on Monday, so what better way to proceed than to double down? If Myles Garrett is in that game are we talking about Denver erasing a 16-point deficit? The issue with the Rams is going to be patience as we wait for the team we were promised to finally materialize together. When Aaron Donald signed, I predicted it would look a little like trying to see the Dodgers at their playoff roster strength. That feels accurate a month into the season.
Bleacher Report: 10
The Los Angeles Rams cannot catch a break.
This is a team whose prized offseason acquisition is out indefinitely after knee surgery. Whose No. 1 wide receiver has missed the last two games with an ambiguous abdominal injury.
In Denver Sunday night, the Rams squandered a 16-0 lead and lost a game they should have won despite those personnel losses. The phantom DPI call on Denver's game-winning drive was a factor, sure. But so was a second half where the Rams defense took a nap to the tune of 30 points allowed.
It's not time to hit the big red panic button. In the first half, the Rams looked the part of the team so many expected them to be this year. 1-2 isn't the end of the world.
But it is time to worry. The Rams aren't shaking off the injuries like their rivals in San Francisco. Said injuries continue to mount. The schedule is brutal, with the Eagles and Bills next.
Again, the Rams can't catch a break.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams Week 4 power rankings: LA drops after big loss to Broncos
