Rams wisest playoff strategy could stun fans, but mean winning a Super Bowl

The 11-3 Los Angeles Rams have found a much easier time locking up an NFL Playoff berth than fighting through the NFC West Division. While that surprises nobody, perhaps the Plinko nature of the remaining games on the Rams schedule still holds some surprises. After all, when was the last time we took a broad view of the NFC West?

As it stands today, the NFC bracket of the NFL playoffs look like this:

• Number one Los Angeles Rams - BYE
• 7th-seed Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) at 2nd-seed Chicago Bears (10-4)
• 6th-seed San Francisco 49ers (10-4) at 3rd-seed Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
• 5th-seed Seattle Seahawks (11-3) at 4th-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)

If you have your heart set on the BYE, the strategy for Los Angeles is simple. Win out. But if you understand the chess strategy of the unfolding NFL playoff board, you will see two other strategies unfolding. If the Rams do lose to the Seahawks in Week 15, they will almost certainly land as the fifth-seeded team. Would it be so bad to face a Buccaneers team in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs?

If the Rams lose even one game along the way, and the Seahawks and 49ers face off in Week 18 with the NFC West Division crown on the line, that top seed will go to the victor. Not just home-field advantage, but the BYE week in the Wild Card Round as well.

While you ponder that, let's lay out the schedules for remaining NFC West teams.

Rams could take one step backward to take three steps forward

Before minds begin to shut down over the absurdity of losing to the Seahawks in Week 16 as having a silver lining, consider this. The Rams want to be as healthy as possible in the postseason. If Los Angeles falls to a wild-card status, that Week 18 game against the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals will almost certainly be played with backups.

The remaining games on LA's schedule are:

• Week 16 - Los Angeles Rams (11-3) at Seattle Seahawks (11-3) (TNF)
• Week 17 - Los Angeles Rams (11-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-9) (MNF)
• Week 18 - Arizona Cardinals (3-11) at Los Angeles Rams (11-3)

The remaining games on Seatgle's schedule are:

• Week 16 - Los Angeles Rams (11-3) at Seattle Seahawks (11-3) (TNF)
• Week 17 - Seattle Seahawks (11-3) at Carolina Panthers (7-7)
• Week 18 - Seattle Seahawks (11-3) at San Francisco 49ers (10-4) (TBD)

The remaining games on San Fran's schedule are:

• Week 16 - San Francisco 49ers (10-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-6) (MNF)
• Week 17 - Chicago Bears (10-4) at San Francisco 49ers (10-4) (SNF)
• Week 18 - Seattle Seahawks (11-3) at San Francisco 49ers (19-4) (TBD)

So, what is going on? Well, have you noticed that the NFL schedulers have pitted the Seahawks and 49ers in that final game of the season, while the Rams face the struggling Cardinals in Week 18? The loser of the Seahawks at the 49ers could end up playing for a BYE week and home-field advantage. But what about the cost of competing in that game?

In 2024, both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings played such a winner-take-all contest. Both teams ended up 0-1 in the postseason. You can thank Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell. The rules of postseason are such that you win or go home. But if you arrived beaten up and exhausted? So what.

The wild card version of Los Angeles will sit starters in Week 18 and travel to defeat a very beatable Buccaneers team in Round 1 of the playoffs. Round 2 will almost certainly pit LA against an NFC West opponent. That leaves the Horns in the NFC Championship game, and fans love head coach Sean McVay's odds in that one.

Is it enough to win the most regular-season games, or play for a ring? The paths to do either may not align right now. That means winning out, but doing so with a cost to the Rams roster may not be ideal. This team wants to win Super Bowl LX. To do that, perhaps finishing as a healthy fifth-seeded team is the optimal strategy.

As always, thanks for reading.