EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After the free fall that accompanied a five-game losing streak through November, the St. Louis Rams have rebounded on the field and in the ESPN NFL Power Rankings.
Taking advantage of a pair of home games against low-ranked opponents, the Rams have reeled off consecutive victories against Detroit and Tampa Bay and have jumped back up to No. 22 in this week's Power Rankings.
That's a four-spot jump from last week's No. 26 and a move of six places from No. 28, which was their lowest of the season after their fifth consecutive loss. At 6-8, though, the Rams still aren't garnering much respect among teams with the same or similar records. There are six teams with six wins but the Rams are ranked the lowest of those teams.
Oddly, Tampa Bay, the team the Rams beat last Thursday night, checks in at No. 17 and actually moved up a spot after losing to the Rams. No. 14 Oakland is the highest-rated 6-8 team. Jacksonville, which is 5-9, is the only team with a worse record rated ahead of the Rams.
This week, the Rams get back to playing upper-echelon teams with a visit to No. 7 Seattle. The Rams beat the Seahawks in the season opener but haven't won in Seattle in their last 10 tries. St. Louis closes the season with a visit to No. 30 San Francisco.
