LA Rams atop NFC West Division after Colts defeat Cardinals

If the Rams win out

The sudden turn of fortunes for the Rams has placed the team in control of the season’s outcome. For now, the door remains open for the LA Rams to earn the top-seed of the NFC Playoffs. Of course, to do so, the LA Rams must win all three remaining games on the schedule, while the Green Bay Packers lose their remaining two games on their schedule. Due to the Rams losing to the Packers, any tie would result in the Packers earning a higher seed in the upcoming playoffs.

The LA Rams have gotten this far thanks to the incredible tandem of quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. While this pair may face some tough defense, the Vikings have not been particularly effective at holding a top NFL receiver in check. That could be something to keep an eye on this week.

Of course, ‘winning out’ means that the LA Rams must defeat three teams with playoff aspirations of their own:

Week 16: @ Minnesota Vikings (7-7)
Week 17: @ Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
Week 18: San Francisco 49ers (8-7)
That’s a pretty intimidating way to finish off this season.

Four-game postseason track

Even if the Rams do manage to finish this season at 13-4 or 12-5, they will host their first playoff game with no week off. That means that the path to Super Bowl LVI will remain a four-game, win-or-go-home affair.

Amidst the Week 16 contests, the NFC has the Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Minnesota Vikings, and the New Orleans Saints at or better than .500. While some games remain to be played this weekend, if the Rams earn the second seed in the playoff this year, they will host the team from that field with the worst record (seventh seed).

But to get there, the Rams need to defeat three playoff-capable teams just to end up in that situation. So let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. While all three games are winnable, we know all too well that the LA Rams are capable of losing games too. So what are the LA Rams up against this week?