Do the LA Rams have one upset victory in them this year?

For NFL teams that hope to have any chance of success in the post-season, there has to be one signature victory where the team overcame odds to surprise fans with a better-than-hoped-for outcome. So the question becomes, do the LA Rams have that type of game in them this year? Of course, that doesn’t apply to the Week 13 matchup. But if the Rams manage to get by the Jacksonville Jaguars, they immediately face the Arizona Cardinals in the desert.

So I guess we’re pre-empting that rematch by posing the question now. I don’t think anyone associated with the LA Rams is looking past the Jacksonville Jaguars right now.

No, this is not some effort to disregard, disrespect, or discount the Jacksonville Jaguars and the incredible importance of this Week 13 contest. It’s simply a vital question to the team’s chances to succeed this year. Right now, the LA Rams face six remaining opponents, and those teams can be parsed out into three categories:

Should win
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
Seattle Seahawks (3-8)

Could win
@ Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
San Francisco 49ers (6-5)

Upset win
@ Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
@ Baltimore Ravens (8-3)

Path to playoffs may require an upset victory

With the Rams currently at 7-4, they have a feasible path to the NFL Playoffs if they simply beat up on teams with losing records. Of course, right now the Rams are only guaranteed of two teams meeting that criteria – the Jaguars and the Seahawks. The Vikings and 49ers schedule is such that the Rams could run into them after they manage to achieve a .500 or better win-loss record.

As for the Cardinals or Ravens? Both teams have a reasonable margin of error to lose a game or two and still be in the driver’s seat for post-season play. But that’s where the LA Rams are a bit confusing. We know that these Rams must remain vigilant, prepared, on their guard to thwart an upset. We know that the winless New York Jets arrived a year ago, and they walked away with their first win of the season. No game is safe.

But why doesn’t that go the other way for the LA Rams? For example, we know that the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Buffalo Bills this year. The Minnesota Vikings upset the Green Bay Packers. Upsets are simply a part of the game.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that the LA Rams may need an upset victory to secure a playoff berth. That begs the question: Do the LA Rams have one upset win in them? To be honest? I don’t really know.