The Rams now need 3 wins in five games to clinch. The watch is on

When the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) defeated the Chicago Bears (4-12) on Thursday Night Football, they staved off elimination from competing in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. But when the LA Rams (10-6) defeated the Arizona Cardinals (7-9) on Saturday Night Football, the elimination of the Seahawks in Week 17 was back on the menu.

But it's a complicated process that involves NFL tie-breaker rules that I don't really want to get into right now. Be patient, I will. But the complexity of tie-breakers is a topic that I prefer to give some thought about, not simply jam some incoherent sentences together. So for now, let's explore HOW the Rams can clinch the NFC West Division title, and a berth in the upcoming 2025 NFL Playoffs, after the fact.

It started with the fate of six other NFL teams in Week 17. The are:

Rams still have path to clinching in Week 17, but it got slightly more complicated with Seahawks' win tonight.

Now need win vs. Cardinals + wins from 4 of these 6 teams this week: Bengals, Commanders, Bills, 49ers, Vikings and Browns.

More here:https://t.co/2XKr1TFUJj
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) December 27, 2024

Four wins, eh? Okay, go on . . .

How many wins will the Rams get from these teams?

It all has to do with NFL tiebreakers and strength of victory (shown as SOV in some NFL articles). Let's just take that at face value for now. So who has to win to help the Rams? The Rams had three of the four needed wins so far entering Sunday Night Football. And in very dramatic fashion, the Commanders win in overtime.

Cincinnati Bengals - WIN Bengals defeated the Broncos 30-24
Washington Commanders - WIN Commanders 30 Falcons 24
Buffalo Bills - hosting the NY Jets - WIN Bills 40 Jets 14
San Francisco 49ers - MNF vs Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings - WIN Vikings 27 Packers 25
Cleveland Browns - LOSS Dolphins 20 Browns 3

That means that the LA Rams, win or lose in Week 18, will clinch the NFC West Division title, and now simply aways the final seeding to determine which team they will host in the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

The watch is on: If the Bills, Browns, Vikings, Commanders and 49ers combine for three wins over the next two days, Los Angeles will be NFC West champions based on its strength of victory, no matter what happens against Seattle in Week 18, per ESPN’s @EpKap. https://t.co/VCWjyHeTbZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2024

The best hope for the Rams (and fans) heading into Week 17 lay in victories by the Buffalo Bills over the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings over the Green Bay Packers, and the Washington Commanders over the Atlanta Falcons. True to form, that is what happened. That means that there is no need to cheer for a San Francisco 49ers win over the Detroit Lions (and most Rams fans struggled at the thought of doing so).

The Rams are in. The Seattle Seahawks are not.

The Rams now need 3 wins in five games to clinch. The watch is on

How many wins will the Rams get from these teams?

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