It wasn't entirely a matter of taking one step forward and two steps back, but the Los Angeles Rams certainly didn't help themselves in Monday night's loss to the Miami Dolphins. After winning three straight, they were kept out of the end zone for 60 minutes .
At 4-5, their playoff hopes have suffered a major setback. Had they beaten the Dolphins, they would have been half a game behind the Cardinals for the lead in the NFC West. Instead, they are a game and a half behind and Arizona is already in the tiebreaker with another head-to-head matchup to come.
The Rams' three-game winning streak moved them back into the top 15 of the power rankings, but Monday's loss dropped them several spots. Here you can find their rankings in various surveys at the beginning of the 11th week.
: 19th (last week: 15th)
: 18th (last week: 15th)
: 21st (last week: 18th)
: 18th (last week: 15th)
: 16. (last week: 15.)
: 16. (last week: 16.)
: 19th (last week: 15th)
: 18th (last week: 17th)
: 21st (last week: 16th)
: 14th (last week: 10th)
High: 14th – Low: 21st – Average: 18.0
Last week's average ranking was 15.2, dropping the Rams nearly three spots. Most networks didn't move them down too far, with the biggest drop coming by five spots for FOX Sports. So it's not like they dropped out of the top 20 entirely.
Next up for Los Angeles is a Patriots team that is 3-7 but is coming off a 19-3 win over the Bears on Sunday afternoon. The Rams should even be able to beat New England on the road, but there are no guarantees in the NFL.
