The NFL Power Rankings have begun to solidify in the middle by Week 14—it seems like the St. Louis Rams have been permanently shut out of the top 20 on our home rankings, even at an ostensibly respectable 6-6. Blame upbringing: The aristocrats elsewhere in the league refuse to believe that a good football team could come from such terrifyingly mediocre NFC West stock.
↵SB Nation's Power Rankings put the St. Louis Rams at 22nd, still behind the Seattle Seahawks, which means that of the worst 12 teams in football a third of them comprise the NFC West. If the Rams can sneak into the playoffs, I am perfectly fine with allowing power rankings writers make all the jokes they want. All the way to the bank! (I might need to rework that.)
↵ESPN continues to be more sanguine about the Rams, placing them all the way at 17th in their latest rankings. They've got the Seahawks at 20th, and even see, out of the goodness of their heart, some way in which the Arizona Cardinals are only the 29th-best team in the NFL.
↵But the Fox Sports rankings win the optimism derby this week, pushing the Rams up three spots to 15 based on their newfound ability to win on the road. Something to consider: I'm not sure how new their ability to win on the road against the Arizona Cardinals and a team that was about to fire its coach really is. But a top-15 rank? I'll take it.
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