There was a chance the Los Angeles Rams could’ve clinched a playoff spot on Saturday before even taking the field for their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. But unfortunately, the Cardinals decided not to help L.A. out, keeping L.A.’s slim chance of missing the postseason alive.
The Cardinals were upset by the 49ers on Saturday afternoon, preventing the Rams from clinching a playoff spot. L.A. still has a chance to lock up a spot in the dance today, however, in two different ways.
Here are the two clinching scenarios for the Rams:
- Win/tie vs. Seattle OR
- Bears loss/tie vs. Jacksonville
The Bears are 8.5-point favorites over the Jaguars today, so it’s unlikely they’ll lose that game – especially with James Robinson out for Jacksonville. Not to mention, the Jags are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in the draft, a spot they’d probably rather not lose by winning a meaningless game.
So in all likelihood, it’ll come down to the Rams beating the Seahawks on the road to complete the season sweep. If they can’t pull it off, they’ll need to either beat the Cardinals in Week 17 or have the Bears lose to the Packers to clinch a playoff spot.
But make no mistake: The Rams would rather get this business out of the way today and have a chance to lock up the NFC West title next week. A loss against Seattle gives the Seahawks the division crown.
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