After selling out to win a Super Bowl in 2021, many assumed that the Rams would enter a rebuilding period. They’ve done anything but rebuild, making the playoffs in 2023 and placing themselves in the heat of the playoff hunt this season.
Simply making the playoffs isn’t the only accomplishment the Rams are looking to put on their resume this season; they entered Week 17 atop the NFC West with two games to play.
Los Angeles improved its outlook with a 13-9 win over a divisional foe, the Arizona Cardinals, improving to 10-6 this season.
Let’s take a look at the Rams’ path to the playoffs following their Week 17 victory over the Cardinals.
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 17
Rams playoff picture
After starting the season 1-4, the Rams’ playoff hopes looked bleak. There were even reports that the Rams were shopping around Cooper Kupp, a sign that they were going to give up on the season and look to the future.
The turnaround in the last two months has been almost miraculous. Matthew Stafford & Co. have rattled off nine wins in their past 11 games, highlighted by victories over the Vikings, Bills and 49ers. Now adding a win over the Cardinals, the streak has left the Rams with a one-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Lions | 13-2 |
| 2 | Eagles | 12-3 |
| 3 | Rams | 10-6 |
| 4 | Falcons | 8-7 |
| 5 | Vikings | 13-2 |
| 6 | Packers | 11-4 |
| 7 | Commanders | 10-5 |
| 8 | Seahawks | 9-7 |
| 9 | Buccaneers | 8-7 |
The Rams could still clinch the NFC West as early as this week. The cleanest path would have been a Los Angeles win and a Seattle loss, or a tie for the Rams and a loss for the Seahawks (at Chicago), but that did not happen. The Seahawks defeated the Bears on “Thursday Night Football,” keeping their postseason hopes alive.
Los Angeles did defeat Arizona, though, meaning there is a chance the team clinches the NFC West in Week 17. But the Rams need help. They can secure the division if any three of these teams pick up victories in Week 17 — Commanders, Bills, 49ers, Vikings and Browns.
This is due to the potential strength of schedule tiebreaker between the Rams and Seahawks that would occur if the two finish with the same record. It would favor Los Angeles in this case, allowing the team to clinch the NFC West in Week 17.
The battle for the NFC West title has been a rollercoaster ride this season. If Los Angeles is able to take home the division, they’ll secure a top-four seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage for the Wild Card Round at a minimum.
MORE NFL WEEK 17:
Rams remaining 2024 schedule
The Rams’ schedule in the final week of the regular season could lead to some drama in Week 18.
Depending on how the tiebreaker scenarios play out in Week 17, the Rams’ Week 18 matchup with Seattle could still have the division title on the line.
| Date | Matchup | Opponent’s current record | Time (ET) |
| TBD | vs. Seattle | 9-7 | TBD |
NFL DRAFT NEWS:
Rams’ updated playoff chances
Heading into Week 17, ESPN’s power index put Los Angeles’s odds of making the playoffs at 80.6%. They will have to seriously bungle in the final stretch to miss the postseason.
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