Rams victory knocks entire NFC playoff picture for a loop: Who's in, who's out?

Winning in the NFL is never easy, and there is a great deal of luck and external factors that play a huge part in the overall success or failure of a team. The 8-2 Los Angeles Rams understand that, and their ability to erect a contender from an almost entirely new cast of players just four years after winning Super Bowl LVI is worth applauding.

But it's not as simple as that. The success found in 2025 is born of amassing passionate players who love the game, who play with physicality and passion, who stay healthy (for the most part), and who dig in their heels whenever facing adversity.

Los Angeles has been successful, even as the team has played a difficult first-place team's schedule. That hasn't come easy, nor will it ever become easy this season. Now with victories over the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Seattle Seahawks, LA is not just a successful team. This is a team that is getting better with each passing week.

Where do the Rams stand in the NFC Playoff race today?

1 - Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)

Even as the Eagles ride the top-seed position in the NFC for now, they still face a rather difficult schedule. While they may sweep the NFC East, they have dates with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers, and the icy cold winter at the Buffalo Bills coming up. The Eagles will make the playoffs, but all bets are off after that.

2 - Los Angeles Rams (8-2)

What a brutal November this has been for a Rams team that appears to be getting better all the time. After a post-BYE warmup against the Saints, LA faces a trifecta of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The pesky Carolina Panthers (6-5), Detroit Lions (6-4), and a rematch against the Seahawks (7-3) round out the schedule's toughest opponents.

3 - Chicago Bears (7-3)

Of all currently seeded playoff teams, the surprisingly successful Chicago Bears may be the most vulnerable to a late-season collapse. The Bears have beaten bad teams, but face six teams over the final seven games that are playing over .500 right now. Three games remain against NFC North Division opponents as well: Two games against the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) and one game against the Detroit Lions (6-4).

4 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4)

It's tough to imagine a scenario in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not make the playoffs. While the Bucs cling to a half-game lead over the Carolina Panthers (6-5) right now, they face them twice. In fact, the Bucs' only other scheduled opponent over .500 is Los Angeles in Week 12.

5. - Seattle Seahawks (7-3)

Despite losing to the Rams in a real slobberknocker, the Seahawks will have a chance to lick its wounds over the next month or so against a relatively easy schedule. Of course, finishing the season against the Indianapolis Colts (8-2), Rams (8-2), and San Francisco 49ers (6-4) will be tough sledding indeed.

6. - Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)

The Green Bay Packers have struggled with injuries of late. But of all wild-card teams, they are the most likely to get hot and win their division. They have five NFC North Divisional games remaining, including two against front-runner Chicago. It's tough sledding, but the Packers have a reputation for winning in that pressure-cooker.

7. - San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

The NFC West Division currently boast three playoff teams, and it will take a Herculean effort to pry the San Francisco 49ers out of the seventh and final spot. With remaining games against the Panthers, Bears, Colts and Seahawks as the toughest remaining opponents, they could easily finish no worse than 10-7. And with so many injuries, they could get some key contributors back for a playoff run.

Still lurking around: Detroit Lions (6-4), Carolina Panthers (6-5)

The Rams are an incredible 8-2 after 10 games. The last time LA was this successful this late in the season was 2018. Still, there is such a thing as peaking too early, and the team simply cannot afford to suffer any decline.

The team was banged up in week 11. But some of the younger players are beginning to step out of the shadows into the spotlight now. This team will almost certainly make the playoffs somehow. Hopefully, they won't settle for anything less than the number one seed.

As always, thanks for reading.