3rd-seeded LA Rams need help from former opponents now

At 11-4, the LA Rams are an NFL team with the second-best record in the league. Unfortunately, the four losses were to the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and the Tennessee Titans. Two losses to NFC West Divisional opponents and three losses to NFC Conference opponents place the team on the short end of multiple NFL Playoff tie-breakers.

The Rams will lose any tie to the Green Bay Packers because the team lost to the Packers in head to head competition. The team will lose tiebreakers to the Arizona Cardinals (if both teams finish with the same record) due to a worse divisional record. And the LA Rams lose tiebreakers to the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers due to a worse conference record.  In fact, the only team that the Rams may best in any tiebreakers right now is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who the Rams defeated in their head-to-head matchup.

So that means that even if the LA Rams win out, they have peaked. Even if the team finishes this season at 13-4, they could end up no better than third-seeded in the upcoming NFL Playoffs. Of course, that presumes that the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys win out. That may not prove to be the case.

That has opened the door to the question that is always asked this time of year: When is it the right time for the team to sit starters to rest up for the playoffs?

So even a 13-4 LA Rams final record will fall well short of the ultimate goal of playing one less playoff game and staying at Sofi Stadium for a three-game post-season run.

LA Rams NFC Top-Seed scenario

For the LA Rams to claim the top-seed in the NFC, the following scenario must take place.

In Week 17:

LA Rams must win at Baltimore Ravens
Minnesota Vikings must win at Green Bay Packers
AND

In Week 18:

LA Rams must defeat San Francisco 49ers
Detroit Lions must defeat Green Bay Packers

PLUS

Arizona Cardinals must win at Dallas Cowboys (1 loss)

OR

Philadelphia Eagles must defeat Dallas Cowboys (1 loss)

In the end, the LA Rams must get help from the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions, the Arizona Cardinals, or the Philadelphia Eagles

As Well As

Winning their final two games of the season. Easy enough?

The LA Rams have to defeat two opponents who have been annoyingly difficult to defeat: the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Both upcoming opponents are physical teams and have no risk of handing over the game to the Rams. In fact, both teams are particularly motivated as their own playoff berth could be on the line when they face the Rams.

We know that the Detroit Lions helped out the Rams playoff situation by handing the Cardinals an upset loss. Now, can the Cardinals, Lions, and Vikings repeat that pay-if-forward help to squeeze the LA Rams into the top spot in the playoffs?  We’ll find out soon enough…