The Los Angeles Rams turned their season around to make the playoffs, and now they will be eyeing their path to the Super Bowl. After recovering from 3-6 at their Week 10 bye, the Rams’ Wild Card Weekend opponent is the Detroit Lions. If they emerge victorious from a likely highly emotional encounter, what are their potential playoff scenarios?
With the assistance of the free PFN NFL Playoff Predictor, let’s examine the Rams’ playoff scenarios and potential opponents in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Editor’s Note: The Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Green Bay Packers means that the Rams would face either the Philadelphia Eagles or Tampa Bay Buccaneers if they win on Wild Card Weekend.
What Are the Los Angeles Rams’ Playoff Scenarios for the NFL Postseason?
As the No. 6 seed in the NFC, the Rams’ playoff scenarios entering Sunday morning leave them with three potential opponents: the San Francisco 49ers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Depending on the result of the Green Bay Packers game with the Cowboys, the Rams may know their potential Divisional Round opponent before they even kick off Sunday night.
The way the NFL playoff bracket works is that the lowest-remaining seed in each conference faces the No. 1 seed in the conference in the Divisional Round. With the No. 7-seeded Packers playing in the earlier game on Sunday, they will help dictate the playoff path of the Rams this year.
If the Packers defeat the Cowboys, Green Bay will be locked in for a trip to Santa Clara to face the 49ers. That would leave the Rams to travel to either the Buccaneers or Eagles, who face off on Monday Night Football, most likely on Sunday next week.
Meanwhile, if Dallas wins, Los Angeles would know that a victory over Detroit on Sunday night will see them facing San Francisco, most likely on Saturday. That scenario would also ensure that the Rams cannot host a playoff game during this postseason.
In the scenario where the Packers and Rams both win on Wild Card Weekend and in the Divisional Round, Los Angeles would host Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game. However, any other combination of results would see the Rams on the road in the Conference Championship.
If the Rams could choose their opponent for the Division Round, they would likely ask for the Buccaneers. Not only are they the weakest of the potential opponents in terms of their 2023 record, but they’re also the only ones that the Rams have a winning record against historically.
Los Angeles is 19-10 against Tampa Bay all-time, including a 3-0 postseason record. The Rams lost the most recent regular-season meeting between the two, with a 16-13 loss in November 2022. However, the Rams did win the most recent playoff matchup with a 30-27 win in the 2021 postseason.
Los Angeles would also likely take encouragement from the fact that they’ve won four of their last five games in Tampa Bay, including two of the three games with Sean McVay as their head coach.
Recently, the Rams do not have a great history against the Eagles. They won 37-19 on the road against them in 2020 but lost 23-14 at home to Philadelphia this season. That road victory in 2020 was LA’s only win over Philadelphia since 2004.
MORE: Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions Predictions
In their last eight games, the Rams are 1-7 against the Eagles. Even if we just isolate it to the McVay era, Los Angeles is 1-3 against Philadelphia. That troublesome recent history is more pertinent for LA than their 2-1 playoff record against the Eagles, given that they haven’t met in the postseason since 2002.
The Rams’ recent history against the 49ers is not much better. Their Week 18 victory might have come with both teams resting starters, but it will carry some psychological value. Prior to that win, the Rams hadn’t won a regular-season game against San Francisco since 2018. That snapped a nine-game regular-season losing streak for Los Angeles.
However, the Rams will point to their 20-17 win over the 49ers in the 2021 postseason on their way to their Super Bowl win as the biggest psychological win in those past five years. When it really matters in a postseason, win-or-go-home scenario, the Rams were able to deliver the goods.
After their 7-1 finish to the season, Los Angeles believes they can take on anyone. They nearly beat the AFC No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens during a run, in a game that would have perhaps given them more confidence than any other in the second half of the season.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!