Despite losing their last two games to the Jets and Seahawks, the Rams’ playoff hopes are still very much alive. In fact, it’s more likely than not that Los Angeles will be in the postseason field, holding a 79% chance to make it, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Assuming they do secure a spot in the playoffs, they’ll be locked into the No. 5, 6 or 7 seed in the NFC. The Seahawks have already clinched the NFC West, so the Rams would be a wild-card team, just as the Cardinals could be.
It all comes down to Rams-Cardinals and Bears-Packers for the final wild-card spots, though Buccaneers-Falcons will also play a role in playoff seeding. If the Rams win, they’ll either be the No. 5 or 6 seed. If they lose, they’ll be the seventh NFC team or miss the playoffs altogether.
Here are the scenarios for L.A. in Week 17.
Rams clinch No. 5 seed if:
Rams win AND
Buccaneers lose
Rams clinch No. 6 seed if:
Rams win AND
Buccaneers win
Rams clinch No. 7 seed if:
Rams lose AND
Bears lose
Rams miss playoffs if:
Rams lose AND
Bears win
Obviously, the best-case scenario now is locking up the No. 5 seed. That would guarantee the Rams a first-round matchup with the winner of the NFC East, which will be Washington, the Cowboys or the Giants. But unfortunately, it’s hard to see the Bucs losing to the Falcons, which must happen if L.A. is to jump up to the fifth seed.
If all the favorites in the NFC win as they’re expected to in Week 16, it would put the Packers in the top spot with a first-round bye, the Saints second and the Seahawks third.
If the Rams secure the No. 6 seed, it would require them to head up to Seattle for the second time in three weeks for a third matchup with the Seahawks. As good as the Seahawks are, that would be better than heading to Green Bay or New Orleans.
There’s still a lot to be sorted out in the NFC, but what we know is the Rams will be on the road in the wild-card round – if they make it into the playoffs at all.
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