LA Rams 12th victory so very important to the team as post-season nears

From the moment that the LA Rams opened the 2021 NFL season, we have been touting the team’s ‘magic number for this season at 12 wins.  How did we arrive at that number? From the moment that the LA Rams traded for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, the team needed to show improvement over their 2020 season’s 10-6 record.

The NFL had already lengthened the season to 17 games. With a finish at 11-6, there would be no way to compare the two seasons with a dissimilar number of games played. The only real way to prove that the team had actually improved was simple. The Rams must finish the season at 12-5. Then, and only then, would we be able to conclude that this team was better?

And so it now is. 12 beautiful, glorious wins. Just wow.

At one point in the season, the LA Rams had fallen to 7-4 after three consecutive losses. Many believed that the Rams were not just at risk of falling to a wild card seed, but of missing the playoffs outright. Even as the Rams won their eighth game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, few expected much more out of the Rams than one-and-done if they made it to the post-season.

Rams are an improved team

The LA Rams were the sixth-seeded wild card team in 2020, but after the post-season play had finished, ended up as the NFC West team that advanced further than all others. The LA Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round and lost to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs.

This year, the LA Rams are within the grasp of winning the NFC West Division and claiming the second-seed of the upcoming NFC Playoffs. Only their divisional nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers, stand in their way of achieving that goal. The LA Rams host the 49ers in Week 18. For the Rams, a win sews up the NFC West Division title, and at least two home games in the playoffs. Lose? Well, the Rams could fall to fifth-seed, and face three consecutive road games.

The San Francisco 49ers are fighting for their playoff lives. If they win, they are in. But a loss to the LA Rams and a win by the New Orleans Saints boots the 49ers out of the post-season discussion.

Hopefully, the LA Rams will play their starters and do everything in their power to win in Week 18. Even if the Rams fall short, they can close out a very successful 2021 regular season the right way. This time, I don’t think that the Rams lose.

We’ll find out in a few short days. Either way, the LA Rams are in the playoffs and are a dangerous team. Stay tuned…