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theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams come in at No. 3 on ESPN's FPI rankings for 2022
Cameron DaSilva
May 18, 2022 9:03 am PT
Repeating as Super Bowl champions is difficult to do, but the Los Angeles Rams have a decent shot to do exactly that in 2022. They have the third-best odds to win it all next season, behind only the Bills and Buccaneers – two teams they’ll face during the regular season.
When it comes to ESPN’s Football Power Index, only two teams rank higher than the Rams: the Bills and Packers.
Seth Walder of ESPN shared the latest FPI rankings, which is based on how much better (or worse) a team is predicted to be than an average team in terms of points. The Rams are expected to be 7.7 points better than an average team on a neutral field, slightly ahead of the Chiefs, Bucs and Cowboys.
That’s an indication of how highly ESPN’s model views the Rams. And when it comes to Super Bowl chances, the Bills have a 7% chance to win it all, followed by the Rams – who also have a 7% chance; decimal places likely separated the two.
What’s working in the Rams’ favor is a weaker NFC, which should make it easier for them to at least get back to the Super Bowl. Russell Wilson, Davante Adams, Matt Ryan, Khalil Mack and Chandler Jones are among the top players that left the NFC for the AFC, strengthening the opposing conference – particularly the AFC West.
That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for the Rams to win the NFC again, but ESPN’s predictive model likes their odds.
