Just this afternoon, the weekly Power Rankings went online and the Rams are on the rise with an average ranking of 15.5, putting them in the middle of the pack. So, what does that really say about the state of the Los Angeles Rams and their place in the NFC West? Yes, they’re in first place after three weeks, but how good are they?

The LA Rams now have the talent and coaching to beat every team on their schedule.

During the tumultuous 2016 season, that claim was most definitely NOT the case, facing off with three teams that the Rams had no chance competing with — The New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons.

Those games weren’t even close and highlighted the fact that the Rams weren’t nearly to the level their fanbase expected them to be. And after three games this season, the Rams obviously have some flaws that can be fixed with coaching and personnel changes, but they’re anything but a pushover. And that’s what the new power rankings suggest — the other teams in NFL can’t just score 17 points and expect a win against us (which happened 3 times last season). The new offense, led by comeback player of the year, QB Jared Goff, and the runner-up comeback player of the year, RB Todd Gurley, is completely unrecognizable.

I still have the Rams winning nine games this season. I think there’s going to be some rough patches in the season where injuries pop up, growing pains will happen, and bad luck will at some point get back in touch with its old pal, the SOSAR. But, what’s new and exciting about this year’s team is that beyond all of the negatives, there are no games on the schedule where they don’t deserve to win. They’re that good.

So, enjoy it Rams fans. The Los Angeles Rams are exciting again.

When the Rams do eventually fall short on their path to a victory on any given Sunday, it will still be hard to take. Nobody wants to lose. However, we can take solace in the fact that they should have won the game.

And after last season, that’s quite the improvement.