Rams’ Playoff Scenarios: Crunch Time for Postseason Aspirations
The NFL season is winding down and the Los Angeles Rams currently have a 65 percent chance of making the postseason. As the season winds down, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams and 49ers take the field on Sunday Night Football in Week 18. This game could have the first starting spot and the last wild card spot. Here are the games to watch over the last two weeks and the most likely playoff scenarios.
Week 17
The Rams have two important games coming up in Week 17. Those two games are the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Green Bay Packers. Thanks to the Rams’ win over the New Orleans Saints, the Rams hold the lead over potential wild-card teams in the NFC South.
Rams Win + Seahawks Loss
If the Rams win and the Seahawks lose on Sunday, Los Angeles would clinch a playoff berth. This is an ideal scenario, of course, and if Seattle had lost one of the last two games in which they won a game, the Rams would already be in the game. The Steelers will start Mason Rudolph at quarterback and will be without Minkah Fitzpatrick. Rudolph played well last week, but Fitzpatrick will completely change what the Steelers can do on defense. That game in Seattle seems unlikely.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
This is the Rams game in Week 17. A Vikings win would put the Packers at 7-9 and make it impossible for Green Bay to match the Rams’ record. This is significant because the Packers are holding onto the Rams win thanks to Brett Rypien’s infamous play. Even though this game is in Minnesota and the Packers are without their top two cornerbacks in Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, the Vikings will start rookie Jaren Hall at quarterback. It’s worth noting that if this game ends in a tie and the Rams win, Los Angeles would earn a playoff spot. A draw seems highly unlikely, although it hasn’t happened yet this season. After the Vikings beat the Packers, the Rams would only need the Detroit Lions to beat Minnesota at home next week to make the postseason. That’s better than the alternative, which is the Chicago Bears winning at Lambeau Field for the first time since 2015 or a road win against the San Francisco 49ers.
What if the Rams lose to the Giants?
If the unthinkable happens and the Rams lose to the Giants, their playoff chances drop to 15 percent. That said, Los Angeles can still reach the postseason with a win over the 49ers and a loss to the Vikings or Packers in Week 18, depending on who wins the Week 17 game. Victory against the giants puts Aries in control of his own destiny.
Week 18
Depending on what happens in the Vikings-Packers game in Week 17, there are two more games that will be important in Week 18. If the Vikings beat the Packers, the Rams will turn their attention to Minnesota’s game against the Detroit Lions. In the event that the Packers “rocked” the Vikings, Los Angeles would watch Green Bay play the Bruins. The Rams also pay little attention to the Seahawks’ road game against the Cardinals.
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What are the Rams’ Playoff Scenarios?
1. Taking the Favorites
- Seahawks finish 10-7
- Rams finish 9-8
- Packers/Vikings finish 8-9
If all current betting favorites win, the Rams would finish seventh and play the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card weekend. With the way both teams are playing right now, the Rams should come out of this match relatively well.
2. Rams Win Out Scenario Sets Up Matchup Against Lions
- Rams finish 10-7
- Seahawks finish 10-7
- Vikings/Packers finish 9-8
- Lions finish 12-5
- Eagles finish 13-4
That would be the scenario everyone would like, as the most likely would be a first-round matchup with the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. It would be Matthew Stafford’s first game in Detroit since the Lions traded him. In that scenario, the Rams would be the sixth seed and the Lions the third seed. The Rams could also meet Detroit at No. 7 if the Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys and the 49ers win out. That would make it 13-4 between the 49ers, Lions and Eagles. In that case, the 49ers would have one starter, Detroit would have two and Philadelphia would have three.
3. Can the Rams play the 49ers in the playoffs?
- Rams finish 10-7, putting 49ers at 12-5
- Seahawks finish 10-7
- Vikings/Packers finish 9-8
- Lions finish 13-4
- Eagles finish 13-4
The most likely scenario for the Rams to play the 49ers in both Week 18 and Wild Card weekend starts with a Lions win in Week 17 against the Cowboys. For that scenario to happen, the Rams would have to go 10-7 and No. 6 in the NFC. That would put the 49ers in third place at 12-5 and behind both the Lions and Eagles at 13-4. There is a scenario where the Rams could play the 49ers as the seventh seed, but that would require the Rams to lose in Week 18, the Vikings or Packers to lose 9-8, and the Seahawks also to lose one of their remaining two games. . . Los Angeles can also play the 49ers if the Lions win as well.
4. Disaster Scenario
- Rams finish 9-8
- Seahawks finish 10-7
- Vikings/Packers finish 9-8
Unfortunately, the Rams didn’t advance, which means there’s a scenario where they don’t make the playoffs. The good news is that LA controls its own destiny. Despite that, a loss in the last two games and the picture can change completely. If the Rams lose to the 49ers and the Seahawks and either the Packers or Vikings also win, the Rams will miss the postseason.
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