Rams, Jaguars take top 2 spots in latest poll
NEW YORK » And the winner is .... the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams, who have looked dominant in the first two weeks of the regular season, have grabbed the top spot from the New England Patriots in the latest AP Pro32 poll on Tuesday.
The Rams received nine of the 12 first-place votes and 380 points in balloting by media members who regularly cover the National Football League throughout the regular season.
The Rams are coming off a 34-0 rout of the listless Arizona Cardinals and will host the Chargers at the Coliseum on Sunday in an All-LA matchup.
“(Coach) Sean McVay rested most of his starters in the preseason, but the Rams already look like they’re in midseason form after another dominating win, albeit over a woeful Cardinals team,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said.
The Jacksonville Jaguars earned the remaining three first-place votes for 375 points. The Jaguars moved up three spots after their impressive 31-20 win over the Patriots, who fell to No. 5.
“At least for now, the AFC’s early season torch has been passed to the Jaguars after last Sunday’s thumping of New England,” said Alex Marvez of The Sporting News.
The Minnesota Vikings stayed at No. 3 after rallying to tie the rival Green Bay Packers 29-29 at Lambeau Field.
“The Vikings got better when they signed (kicker) Dan Bailey,” said Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
Bailey was signed after the Vikings waived Daniel Carlson following his missed three field-goal attempts.
The fifth-round draft pick from Auburn missed field goals of 48, 49 and 35 yards, with the last two failed tries coming in overtime.
The Packers also kept their spot at No. 6 after the league’s second consecutive week with a tie following their game against the Vikings.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are off to a convincing 2-0 start to the season so far, moved up three places to No. 4 from No. 7.
Mahomes had six touchdown passes for the Chiefs, who are coming off a 42-37 victory over thePittsburgh Steelers and will face the San Francisco 49ers in their home opener on Sunday afternoon.
“The thrilling Pat Mahomes Show is covering up some serious defensive deficiencies at the moment,” said Ira Kaufman of Fox 13 in Tampa, Florida.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by a resurgent Ryan Fitzpatrick, vaulted seven spots to No. 8 after topping the Philadelphia Eagles 27-21.
The Buccaneers will face another challenge when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
“Need to beat Steelers now,” Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki said of the Bucs.
The Eagles, who will get back quarterback Carson Wentz following his knee injury when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, dropped five spots to No. 7 after a surprising loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.
The Atlanta Falcons inched up a spot to No. 9 after earning their first win of the season with a 31-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
And the surprising Cincinnati Bengals rounded out the top 10 after topping Baltimore 34-23. The Bengals will be without running Joe Mixon for a few weeks following his knee surgery. They will face the Panthers and Falcons on the road in the next two weeks.