LA Rams News: When is an NFL win more than a win?

Thanks to a solid win against their NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, the LA Rams are now 2-1. While the team was humiliated in the first game of the new 2022 NFL season, losing by a score of 31-10 at home to the Buffalo Bills, the Rams have won their next two games.  That places the Rams at two wins and one loss. But it does more than just that.

Let’s explore what I mean.

The NFL, due to the likelihood of teams ending the season with similar records, has installed a series of tiebreaker rules that allow for the proper NFL Playoff seeding for teams despite ending the year. The rules for a two-team tie are rather involved, but if you explore rules for the ties between three or more teams, they get downright complicated. You can refresh your knowledge of the NFL tiebreaker rules at this link here.

Two Clubs

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs)
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
9. Best net points in common games
10. Best net points in all games
11. Best net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss

With just three games in the record books, few of the tiebreakers matter. In fact, tiebreakers truly only matter most when deciding the seeding for postseason play. But with all of the teams packed together with similar records, it’s as good a time as any to revisit a couple of rules that matter most.

The LA Rams are among five NFC teams at 2-1. But the Rams lost to an AFC team, and are 1-0 in the NFC West Division, and 2-0 in the NFC Conference. Those may not seem like important facts just yet, but with each week of NFL competition, those rules of Division record and Conference record loom ever larger.

Right now, the LA Rams are 1-0 in the NFC West Division and 2-0 in the NFC Conference. As long as the Rams continue to win in both categories, no matter how ugly or elegantly, the team will earn another chance at post-season play.