Things have changed in a hurry for the Los Angeles Rams thanks to their last two wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. After starting the year 1-4, they’ve now won two in a row and are just one game below .500.
More importantly, they’re only a half-game out of first place in the NFC West – which could be their clearest path to a playoff berth in January.
The Rams’ win over the Vikings was obviously the most important result of Week 8 for Sean McVay’s team, but they weren’t the only team in the division to win. Unfortunately, two of their three rivals were victorious on Sunday, preventing the Rams from climbing higher in the NFC West standings.
Here’s a recap of how Sunday went in the division.
Cardinals beat Dolphins on walk-off FG, 28-27
The Cardinals were trailing the Dolphins for the entire game, from 7-0 to 27-18 in the fourth quarter. But Arizona wouldn’t go away, scoring on its final three possessions of the afternoon. The Cardinals erased a 20-10 third-quarter deficit by scoring 18 points in the final 21 minutes to beat the Dolphins with a walk-off field goal as time expired.
Bills blow out Seahawks, 31-10
The Seahawks were no match for the Bills on Sunday despite being at home. They never led in the game and after trailing 7-3 in the first quarter, they allowed 24 unanswered points before scoring a meaningless touchdown with 8 minutes left to make it 31-10.
49ers hold off Cowboys, 30-24
The 49ers were crushing the Cowboys, 27-10 in the third quarter before once again letting their opponent back into the game. They allowed Dallas to make it interesting by giving up two touchdowns in the last 8 minutes, but the defense ultimately held up with a key stop late in the fourth.
With the NFC West going 3-1 in Week 8, here’s a look at the latest standings in the division.
- Cardinals: 4-4
- 49ers: 4-4
- Seahawks: 4-4
- Rams: 3-4
The Rams might still be in last place in the division, but they’re only a half-game out of first place and if all goes well in Week 9, they could be in first place by the end of Week 9. If they can beat the Seahawks on Sunday and the Cardinals lose to the Bears, the Rams will jump to 4-4 and into the division lead thanks to their tiebreaker over the 49ers.
There’s a long way to go but after it seemed like the sky was falling in Los Angeles, the race for the division title is far from over.