The Los Angeles Rams are now 5-2 for the first time since 2003, and theirs is as impressive a seven-game resume as you’ll find from any team in the league right now. Every week that goes by sees them get stronger as a unit, and even in their losses they’ve shown flashes of brilliance.

Put simply: they are everything you thought they weren’t. Less than halfway through this regular season, it’s quite obvious that these are no longer Jeff Fisher’s Rams.

The offense is versatile and dynamic, and Todd Gurley is elite. That 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year season wasn’t a fluke after all. Go figure. Jared Goff has been a very good game manager who makes few mistakes and trusts his teammates and his coaches, and the superb offensive line is unrecognizable from last season’s Swiss cheese nightmare.

Related Stellar offensive line remains the center of attention on the Rams offense

Aaron Donald is pound-for-pound the best defender in the league yet again, only this time he’s got help from a core of linebackers who are thriving in the 3-4 system implemented by Wade Phillips, which sees a different player every week stepping up for the front seven. They have nine interceptions through Week 7, just one shy of their season total from 2016.

Johnny Hekker and Greg Zuerlein are the best pair of feet in the NFL, and have been better than ever this season.

Sean McVay is calm and self-aware. He’s honest about his shortcomings without being self-critical and he’s well-spoken and has his players’ backs – even when they are holding out for more money. He’s also an offensive savant who has almost single-handedly transformed one of the worst receiving corps in a decade.

Oh, and the Los Angeles Rams can stomp the life out of a team and win a clutch game on the road as underdogs. See Week 1 against the Colts and Week 7 against the Cardinals for the former, and see Week 4 against the Cowboys for the latter.

They also beat the Jaguars in a close game on the road and then stayed in Jacksonville to prepare for their game in London against the Cardinals, so they return home to Los Angeles for the first time in 10 days – with two wins in tow.

Obviously they aren’t flawless. McVay is still learning the nuances of situational coaching during the game, and admittedly needs to get better with using his timeouts. Goff has been efficient, but his accuracy has fallen off quite a bit over the last couple of games, so he’s had to rely on other guys to make big-time plays.

Plus their close loss at home to the Seahawks in Week 5 was a good reminder that they still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do if they want to win the NFC West. They’re very good, maybe even great – but there are other teams that have stronger identities and more experience with winning, particularly in the playoffs.

No matter how much more they have to do to prove themselves at the next level though, there should be absolutely no doubt in your mind that the Rams have started a new chapter. Hell, this might be an entirely new book.