What’s being said about the Rams in the national media after the 2025 Super Bowl?
I’ll be doing power rankings with a slight twist: ranking the post-Super Bowl power rankings based on how much I agree with what the national media is saying about the L.A. Rams. It’s been a few years since I’ve done this, but Rams fans are curious to see how the media views LA after the Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl rematch.
Power rankings are a great way to measure the national media’s reaction to a particular team, yet like anything, should be taken with a grain of salt. Let’s go ahead and size up this nonsense, shall we?
5.) Washington Post
Rams Placement: No. 10
“The future of Matthew Stafford is worth watching. But the combination of Coach Sean McVay at the offensive controls and a young, dominant defensive line gives the Rams a legitimate chance to contend,” per Adam Kilgore on Feb. 14.
There is a major difference between the top 10 NFL teams and those that rank middle of the pack. Top 10 teams have few questions or needs to address, which is why they belong there. The Rams have far too many question marks offensively to be taken seriously as one of those squads. No disrespect to Mr. Kilgore, but I want what he’s smoking. Okay jokes aside, it would be unwise to doubt a Sean McVay-coached team, which is something I do appreciate about this ranking.
4.) USA Today
Rams Placement: No. 10
“No team posed a bigger challenge to the Eagles this postseason – and in decidedly non-California conditions. But, since then, the Rams have signaled their intention to move on from WR Cooper Kupp while, in the meantime, QB Matthew Stafford’s future is also in some question. A year after losing DL Aaron Donald, could be another seismic offseason for a team that has otherwise beautifully stockpiled young talent,” per Nate Davis on Feb. 12.
Again, way too high of a ranking for the Rams. LA posed a solid threat to the Eagles as Davis said, yet his rankings do not reflect the turmoil the team has gone through since the Divisional Round. Perhaps he’s anticipating the Rams to overcome “another seismic offseason.” I suppose that’s fair as Los Angeles has stockpiled some excellent young talent. Even so, a glass-half-empty approach for now isn’t a bad thing. Let’s just see how this mess plays out first.
3.) NFL.com
Rams Placement: No. 11
“The Rams might be a little lower here than some imagined, considering how they ended the season, but again, I am looking at the big picture. Cooper Kupp is expected to go elsewhere. Matthew Stafford, who turned 37 this month, showed his age at times. The defense has some promise, especially in terms of the pass rush, but that unit had a high degree of variance in its performances last season. The NFC West also should remain tough in 2025. With Sean McVay still running the show, I wouldn’t have dropped Los Angeles any lower than this, at least as long as Stafford also sticks around. But until the Rams add some more pieces, I still have my questions about them, even as they’ve made midseason improvements as well as any team in each of the past two years. One of these days, they’re going to get burned by a cold start,” per Eric Edholm on Feb. 11.
As you’ll see in the following two spots Turf Show Ramily, the 11-13 range in the early power rankings is where the team belongs. While the Rams were close to advancing to the NFC Championship and might’ve reached the Super Bowl, this offseason so far has been chaos. I don’t understand what Edholm means by the defense having “some promise.” Didn’t he see the Rams’ two-game playoff run? LA’s unit more than held its own against an Eagles team that scored 95 points in its final two playoff games. I have questions about the Rams, but give the defense the respect it deserves as it overperformed and even carried the offense for a good chunk of the year.
2.) Yahoo Sports
Rams Placement: No. 13
“The Rams’ defensive improvements late in the season should change the offseason approach. It seems like Matthew Stafford will be back but Cooper Kupp will not. Kupp is a franchise legend but he wasn’t a big factor late in the season. The Rams should be pretty good again,” per Frank Schwab on Feb. 10.
Schwab was correct in that Cooper Kupp was a non-factor in the second half of the season. Kupp had only three games over 50 yards receiving since his 106-yard outing against the Patriots in November. There’s zero doubt that Kupp is a franchise legend, but the Rams won’t be missing too much besides his veteran presence by moving on sometime this offseason. Having LA just outside the top 10 is the right placement for them since the offensive question marks are too much to place them among that grouping.
1.) ESPN
Rams Placement: No. 12
“The Rams are coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, but their offense could look very different next season. After their playoff loss to the Eagles, quarterback Matthew Stafford said he would take time to figure out his NFL future. Stafford, 37, is one of two players whom general manager Les Snead called ‘weight-bearing walls’ for this Rams team. The other is receiver Cooper Kupp, who said he planned to play next season but was informed ‘the team will be seeking a trade immediately.’ And while Sean McVay didn’t offer a specific timeline for Stafford’s decision, the head coach said he hopes to have clarity ‘sooner than later,’” per Sarah Barshop on Feb. 10.
This one gets automatic points just for ranking the Rams one spot above the 49ers.
Awe poor Whiners, do you wanna cry about it?
Like I said with Yahoo Sports’ ranking, this is where the Rams should be. There’s no way they should be ranked much higher with the Kupp and Stafford decisions looming. The offense should look quite different, but how much firepower will Les Snead provide McVay? LA has enough cap space to sign one or two major free agents which could help. However, Snead’s recent signings during that period should not give anyone hope. Maybe he’ll figure it out this time around.
