Week 17 will prove to be the make or break game for the Rams young pass rush

At some points in the 2024 NFL season, the LA Rams' young defensive front appears to be a very young group of players who will need plenty of time to show up in a big way in terms of rushing the passer and recording NFL quarterback sacks. At other points in time this season, the same Rams defensive front appears to have arrived and emerges with multiple quarterback sacks and with multiple players recording at least 1.0 sacks per game. But as the lyrics of one of 1979's pop song hits written by Kenny Loggins state:

• 'Are you gonna wait for a sign, your miracle?
• Stand up and fight
• (This is it)
• Make no mistake where you are
• (This is it)
• Your back's to the corner
• (This is it)
• Don't be a fool anymore
• (This is it)

You see, the 2024 NFL season comes down to two games for the LA Rams right now. Despite climbling to a 9-6 record, this team is not out of the woods just yet. The Rams still must face the Seattle Seahawks (8-7), a team that lies in wait in Week 18, the final game of the season. And the Rams must defeat the Seahawks to have complete control over their destiny.

But to get to that point, other games must be played. And for the Rams, a team that has experienced defeat at the hands of multiple sub-.500 teams this season, nothing can be taken for granted. The Rams have two games remaining on their schedule, and that means that this team has two opportunities to win, or lose, the right to compete in the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

The Rams have been on the outside looking in for most of the season in terms of postseason discussions. It's difficult to view a team that wins just one of its first five games seriously, injured of not. A lesser team would have given up hope, and played for the future. But the Rams are made of stronger stuff. This is the second season that the team has rallied from what appeared to be a losing season to compete for an NFL Playoff berth. And right now, the Rams are at the cusp of doing so once more.