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The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, 35-21. After dropping in the consensus power rankings last week, the Rams are climbing back up. They may not be back inside the top 10 yet, but if they can start to stack wins together, it won’t be long before they are back there.
Until the Rams can prove they can win consecutive games and play consistently week to week, it’s going to be hard to trust what they can do. However, after rushing for 192 yards against the Raiders, it’s hard not to like what we saw. They seem to be a team with an identity again.
Oh my goodness the Bengals' remaining schedule pic.twitter.com/f7Mp0meoWr
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 26, 2026
Last week, the Rams looked like they had hit rock bottom. With the win against the Raiders, it looked like they may have turned their season around. Let’s jump into this week’s consensus power rankings.
The Rams move up two places in ESPN’s power rankings this week. They haven’t quite earned enough confidence from analysts to get back into the top 10, but it’s hard not to like what we saw against the Raiders. If the Rams can continue to play like they did on Sunday, they’ll start to earn some trust back and move back up the rankings.
Arguably the most impressive part about the Rams’ win against the Raiders was how they ran the ball. While the Raiders don’t have a stout run defense, the Rams still operated the offense through their dynamic rushing duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. If the Rams are going to start to turn it around, that’s a gameplan they’ll need to stick to.
“There’s absolutely another gear from Blake Corum that we haven’t seen,” said Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr. “And while it’s not the Sean McVay hidden weapon we’re waiting to see, it’s absolutely going to matter in January.”
After last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams were close to dropping outside of the top 20 in The Athletic’s power rankings. Now, they’re back inside the top 15. Nothing is guaranteed with this Rams team, but they still have an opportunity to turn their season around. With games against the Chargers, Commanders, and Cardinals on deck, the Rams have a chance to go into their bye week at 6-4. If that’s where the Rams stand as they start to get healthy, they won’t be a team others want to play come December and January.
“Don’t look now, but the Rams could easily put together a four-game winning streak without batting an eyelash,” wrote The Athletic. “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.”
Nick Shook remains the lowest analyst on the Rams, but that’s not to say it isn’t fair. The Rams haven’t shown the ability to be consistent week to week. If the Rams can play like they did on Sunday over the next month, it will be easier to feel good about them going into December as they get healthy and fight for a playoff spot.
“Some might say this is too low for the Rams, but I’d like to remind everyone of where they stood after the Week 6 loss to the Cardinals. Their coach openly admitted they lacked an identity and were coming off an indefensible defeat that included a barrage of new injuries,” wrote Shook. “It was a much-needed bounce-back performance, but it’s not enough to convince me all of their issues are magically fixed.”
The key to the Rams finding their identity on Sunday against the Raiders was leaning into the run game. Corum and Williams combined for 192 yards. They were the first Rams running back duo since 2001 to have more than 90 yards rushing in the same game.
“If they can keep running the ball the way they did on Sunday, they can start stacking wins,” wrote Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
When the Rams lost their offensive identity in 2021, they leaned on Sony Michel to get out of their rut. If the Rams are going to be the team that many expected, it starts with remaining committed to the run game.
Following last week’s loss, it seemed as if everyone had lost faith in the Rams, and it was hard to blame them. However, getting back in the win column with their most complete win to date, they are the drug that you just can’t quit. The Rams moved up to No. 12 from No. 16 in Fox Sports’ rankings and could keep moving up.
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” wrote Ralph Vacchiano. “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.”
For the first time this season, the Rams looked like the team that many expected coming into the year. That’s not to say that they played a perfect game, but they were a team with an actual identity. After Matthew Stafford led the NFL in passing attempts going into Week 7, the Rams had more rushing attempts than passing attempts. That may not happen every week, but it’s a game plan they need to stick with.
“The team we saw beat up the Raiders is the Dream Team we expected to see before the season. The run game is back,” wrote Pete Prisco.
The Chargers are the only winless team remaining in the NFL and are dead last in the consensus power rankings. That’s a good thing for the Rams, who are looking to get a second consecutive win for the first time this season. However, the Chargers are also coming off a bye week.
Heading into the bye week, the Chargers had enough problems that they likely would have needed an entire month off to figure it all out, and even then it might not have been enough. With that said, the Rams can’t afford to overlook them like they did the Cardinals last week.
There is only one undefeated team remaining in the NFL through seven weeks. It may be harsh to only have them at six, but the Vikings have their flaws. If they can get out of this tough stretch of their schedule and look good, I can feel confident putting them in the top five.
With Caleb Williams, the Bears look like one of the best teams in the NFL, but still have a lot to prove. All eyes will be on their game on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks.
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