The Rams went into their Week 9 bye sitting a game and a half behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks, and a half-game behind the Cardinals. They were also only one game ahead of the last-place 49ers, with San Francisco owning the tiebreaker in head-to-head games.
Sean McVay and his players were likely at home watching this week’s games across the league and they couldn’t have asked for a better result. All three NFC West teams lost, bringing the Rams an inch closer to the division lead.
Here’s how the standings currently look after Week 9’s games
- Seahawks: 6-2
- Cardinals: 5-3 (tiebreaker: divisional record
- Rams: 5-3
- 49ers: 4-5
The Seahawks lost a shootout with the Bills on Sunday, falling 44-34 on the road. Russell Wilson shockingly committed four turnovers in Seattle’s loss, with Josh Allen absolutely picking apart the Seahawks defense.
Arizona hosted the surging Dolphins, who dominated the Rams in Week 8, but Kyler Murray’s magic wasn’t enough to lift the Cardinals to victory. They lost 34-31 at home after Zane Gonzalez’s 49-yard game-tying field goal attempt with 1:58 left came up short.
The 49ers were crushed by the Packers on Thursday night, playing without Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and a host of other key starters. It was a game they were expected to lose, dropping them further behind in the NFC West.
Incredibly, there’s a chance the Rams can take over first place in the division with a win next week over the Seahawks. At the very least, they can tie for the lead with Seattle and Arizona, though if the Cardinals win, they would hold the tiebreaker over the Rams based on divisional record (they’re 2-0).
Still, the Rams’ bye couldn’t have gone much better. They got a week off, rested up for the second half of the season and actually gained ground in the division.