Two straight losses haven’t knocked the Rams out of playoff contention, but a third consecutive defeat paired with a victory by the Bears next week will. Their confidence has been shaken and the fanbase has lost hope in Jared Goff, who will miss the finale after undergoing thumb surgery.
And on a more national scale, pundits have sunk the Rams in their power rankings ahead of Week 17. They plummeted from No. 6 to 14 after their loss to the Jets, and this week, they dropped a bit further.
Touchdown Wire has the Rams ranked 15th, one spot behind the Cardinals, their Week 17 opponent.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), even in the wake of the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon the Rams have almost a 90% chance at still getting into the postseason. With a win next week over the Arizona Cardinals, or a loss by the Chicago Bears (against the Green Bay Packers), the Rams are in.
That fact is probably of little comfort to Rams fans given how the team has played recently, and the status of their quarterback.
It’s hard to feel good about the Rams as the postseason approaches. The offense scored nine points against the Seahawks after putting up only 20 against the Jets. They’ve scored at least 30 points just once since Week 6 and now rank 19th in scoring.
The defense continues to carry the team, allowing fewer than 30 points in 14 of their 15 games so far, but the offense has lagged behind too often and lost close games.
Maybe John Wolford will provide a spark. Maybe Andrew Whitworth will make a difference if he returns in the playoffs. Maybe Sean McVay will correct his play-calling struggles. Or maybe the Rams will just fizzle out in January the way they have in the last two weeks.
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