The Los Angeles Rams were the cause of a shocking upset in Week 8, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 on Thursday Night Football.
This was largely in part to outstanding return performances from star wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, as well as continued excellence from quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kyren Williams.
Naturally, this has led to the Rams experiencing a massive rise in power rankings across all publications.
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports had the Rams rise eight places to No. 16, noting that any talk of Los Angeles "being traded deadline sellers is likely over."
Additionally, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated had Los Angeles improve seven places to No. 15, noting that they can rise even further due to their upcoming schedule.
"A stunning performance by the Rams with a full battery of offensive playmakers on deck now and a 10-day extended rest before taking another crack at it this weekend against the Seahawks," Orr said. "Seattle, Miami and New England make up a very winnable runway for the Rams, who only sit a game out of first place in the NFC West. "
Eric Edholm of NFL.com also had the Rams' ranking improve, albeit only three places to No. 20.
"The Rams notched two season-saving wins over five days and now appear to be in the mix in the NFC West, a division that remains a crapshoot at this point," Edholm said. "If Los Angeles' defense can continue making strides, this is a dangerous team."
Bleacher Report also had the Rams move into the top 20 of their power rankings, with Los Angeles moving into No. 19 after finishing No. 22 last week.
The Rams saw similar improvements in the rankings for ESPN and CBS Sports, where they improved to No. 19. However, Sarah Barshop of ESPN noted the importance of rookie defensive lineman Jared Verse over the likes of Nacua and Kupp.
"Verse, the Rams' first first-round pick since 2016, has impressed early in his rookie season," Barshop said. "Through seven games, he leads all rookies in quarterback hits (12) and has six more than the next-closest defender (Buccaneers linebacker Chris Baswell)."
"The Rams knew one player wouldn't be able toreplace Aaron Donald's production, but Verse has made an impact so far, including 1.5 sacks on Thursday night against the Vikings."
According to Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com, Los Angeles now has an average ranking of 18 with an average increase of five places.
