Can LA Rams derail the Seahawks’ dream of postseason play?

The LA Rams still have a say in which teams compete in the NFC during postseason play. That is not bad for a team that enters its final week with a record of 5-11. So how does it work?

So it comes down to this: The LA Rams are eliminated from the NFL Playoffs. But the Rams can have a say in the fortunes of the Seattle Seahawks, their season finale opponent, and the Detroit Lions, a team on the brink of disaster but clinging to the fading hope of an NFL Playoff appearance.

Without explaining the myriad of NFL tiebreakers, here is how Week 18 plays out for the final NFC Playoff berth. If the Green Bay Packers defeat the Detroit Lions in Week 18, they are in the NFL Playoffs.

– BUT –

If the Detroit Lions win that game, then, the outcome of the LA Rams’ last game of the season at the Seattle Seahawks determines the last NFC contender. If the Seahawks win, they will earn the seventh and final see in the NFC Playoffs. But if the LA Rams win, then the victory will derail the Seahawks’ dreams, and the Detroit Lions will take claim to the seventh seed in the NFL Playoffs in the NFC.

Rams, Seahawks, one last time

Okay, enough talk about NFL Tiebreakers and playoffs. What do we know about the LA Rams and their chances to claim a final-game victory? Can the team do so, knowing full well that the season ends, win or lose, no matter the outcome of the game? In a word? Yes.

The LA Rams roster is no longer stocked with players who are secure in the knowledge that they have a starting role in 2023 with this team. Rather, these LA Rams players are fighting to earn consideration for larger roles with the team in 2023. Of course, that only applies to those players under contract with the Rams in 2023. There are many players who are not under contract and are vying to attract interest from the LA Rams, or for that matter any NFL team, to sign them to a contract next season.

As we had pointed out as the Rams prepared to face the LA Chargers, this is a team of blue-collar players, a cast who is more akin to dock workers than NASA engineers.  While that does not ensure a victory, it does ensure that the Rams will give their all. And it’s for that reason, if nothing else, that I believe that the Rams have one more win in them.