Niner Noise
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NFL power rankings: 32-team overreactions heading into Week 2

By Peter Panacy

FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots celebrates after a touchdown by Phillip Dorsett #13 (not pictured) during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots celebrates after a touchdown by Phillip Dorsett #13 (not pictured) during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams looks on against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams looks on against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

51. . W, 33-13 @ Raiders. Previous: . Los Angeles Rams. 3. team

The Rams were expected to steamroll the Raiders on Monday Night Football. But that script didn’t go according to plan, as the NFL’s No. 1 offense from 2017 struggled to find the end zone the first half.

Quarterback Jared Goff struggled with some accuracy against an Oakland defense largely lacking in the pass rush and within the secondary. And yet head coach Sean McVay made his second-half adjustments to ensure the Rams would come away with the prime-time victory.

Those adjustments included getting running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Brandin Cooks involved more, and that worked. Gurley had 147 all-purpose yards, and Cooks managed 87 receiving yards of his own.

Their efforts bailed Goff out from those early mistakes, and he finished the night with a 97.0 passer rating.

L.A. certainly didn’t dominate the night as expected. But McVay and Co. weathered the early Raiders storm amid a charged Oakland crowd and took over the game after halftime.

No change in rankings this week.