The Los Angeles Rams enter Week 18 with a postseason berth secured following last week’s action, which included a crucial 26-25 win over the New York Giants. Los Angeles has gotten hot at the right time, with six wins in its last seven games to rally from a bumpy start, making it a potentially dangerous playoff team. However, its final seed for the postseason is still up in the air entering Week 18.
Let’s examine the Rams’ playoff scenarios heading into the regular season’s final week.
Rams Playoff Scenarios | Week 18 Update
Note that this article was originally published on Jan. 7 before Sunday’s games began. The results of this week’s games are below and will continue to be updated throughout the day.
The Rams are will be the No. 6 seed in the NFC following their win over the 49ers on Sunday.
1 p.m. ET Games Update
Buccaneers (9-8) defeated Panthers (2-15)
Saints (9-8) defeated Falcons (7-10)
Lions (12-5) defeated Vikings (7-10)
4 p.m. ET Games Update
Packers (9-8) defeated Bears (7-10)
Rams (10-7) defeated 49ers (12-5)
Keep reading below to see the playoff scenarios for the Rams entering Week 18. And head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture.
What Are the Los Angeles Rams’ Playoff Chances and Scenarios in Week 18?
Los Angeles has roughly a 67% chance to finish as the NFC’s No. 6 seed and a 33% chance of finishing as the seventh seed, based on simulations of the PFN Playoff Predictor. The Rams already have a Wild Card spot secured but could face a variety of opponents depending on how Week 18 shakes out.
The most straightforward scenario for Los Angeles to hang onto the sixth seed involves beating the San Francisco 49ers, which enter the week with nothing to play for and every incentive to rest their key players after securing the conference’s No. 1 seed.
That reality would seem to make beating San Francisco fairly straightforward, as news has already come out that it will start Sam Darnold at quarterback. The Rams have made some resting decisions of their own, however, and will also sit their starting quarterback with Carson Wentz getting the nod at signal-caller.
Thus, the winner of that matchup becomes all the more unpredictable. Los Angeles could drop to the seventh seed, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Chicago Bears, while losses by the Rams and Packers would leave LA as the No. 6 seed.
Those varying outcomes leave Los Angeles with three potential first-round opponents — the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, or Detroit Lions.
The Cowboys are the most likely team to finish second in the NFC at this point and, thus, Los Angeles’ most likely opponent if it were to fall to the seventh seed. A Philadelphia win combined with Dallas losing, though, would vault the Eagles to the No. 2 seed, while Detroit is also still mathematically able to finish second, though it’s a long shot.
MORE: Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart
Finishing with the sixth seed would thus almost certainly entail an opening-round matchup with the Lions.
Time will ultimately tell where the Rams ultimately end up seeding-wise and what matchup that ultimately entails for a team that seems to have gotten hot at the right time.
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