2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Cowboys crack top 5, Packers keep struggling
By Randy Gurzi
51. . . Previous: 21st. Los Angeles Rams. 24. team
24. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams continue to struggle this season. They also continued to struggle against Jimmy Garoppolo in the regular season. For the second time this season, the Rams fell to Garoppolo, and both times it was rather one-sided. Their first meeting in Week 4 was a 24-9 win for the Niners and this weekend it was 31-14.
Giving up 31 points is tough enough to deal with but it’s impossible to handle when the offense can’t move the chains. That happened to L.A. as they had 56 yards on 21 rushing attempts and Matthew Stafford threw for just 187 yards on 33 attempts. They’re now 3-4 but since the division isn’t great, they’re still in it — but they have to find a way to get more consistency on both sides of the ball before it’s too late.
team. 32. . . Previous: 20th. Arizona Cardinals. 23
23. Arizona Cardinals
A win last week against New Orleans gave the Arizona Cardinals some new life but they couldn’t make it two in a row as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. They had chances in this one, even taking a 17-14 lead in the third quarter but Minnesota outscored them 20-9 from that point. They had a couple of chances to stay in the game but an interception and turnover on downs doomed them in their comeback efforts.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Cards struggled on defense. This was the third time this year they surrendered at least 30 points and they were bullied on the ground to the tune of 173 yards and three touchdowns. The good news for them is that the NFC West is far from elite, so they’re still alive, but they need to start winning against good teams to have a shot.