It wasn’t the high-scoring affair many were expecting it to be, but Thursday night’s Rams-49ers game was monumental for Los Angeles. Entering the week, the Rams only had a 36% chance of making the playoffs. A loss would’ve dropped their odds to just 25%, potentially leaving them without control of their own fate in the final three weeks.
In a sloppy, rain-filled game at Levi’s Stadium, the Rams pulled out a 12-6 win over their rivals, winning not only their third straight game of the year, but their third consecutive meeting with the 49ers.
Unsurprisingly, the win improved the Rams’ postseason odds significantly. According to the New York Times, they now have a 50% chance to make the playoffs this season. That number could increase all the way to 65% if the Seahawks and Cardinals both lose on Sunday.
NFL.com’s playoff picture has the exact same projection as the NYT, putting the Rams’ odds at 50%. At BetMGM, Los Angeles is -120 to make the postseason and +100 to miss the playoffs. At -120, that has implied odds of 54.5%.
It’s been a massive rise for the Rams after starting the year 1-4, ripping off wins in seven of their last nine games to push two games above .500 at 8-6. They’ve won in a variety of ways and all that’s left to do is win a few more in the final three weeks.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s games, if the Rams win their last three games of the year, they’ll be the NFC West champions.
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