Fansided

5 NFL teams that must win in Week 15

By Mike Phillips

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Nsimba Webster (14) returns a kickoff during the NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on December 08, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Nsimba Webster (14) returns a kickoff during the NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on December 08, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08:Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56), linebacker Obo Okoronkwo (45) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) celebrate after sacking quarterback during the NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on December 08, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08:Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56), linebacker Obo Okoronkwo (45) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) celebrate after sacking quarterback during the NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on December 08, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Los Angeles Rams

It took a while, but the Los Angeles Rams are finally back. The Super Bowl hangover kicked in a bit at mid-season, when the Rams went 3-4 over a seven game stretch, but Los Angeles has gotten back on track with two straight wins.

The offense, which had struggled mightily as Jared Goff took a step back, has been revitalized with Sean McVay’s renewed commitment to the running game. Todd Gurley has assumed more of the load in three of the Rams’ past four games, with the Rams picking up wins in each of the contests where he was a focal point of the offense.

The defense has also started to gel, putting together a masterful performance against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, keeping MVP candidate Russell Wilson out of the end zone for the entire game. That win saved the Rams’ season and kept their playoff dreams alive, but their margin for error is pretty much gone in a tight NFC.

The Rams will need to win out to have any prayer of returning to the playoffs, and that begins this week in Dallas against a Cowboys’ team that is massively slumping. Dallas may well be fired up for this game since this is a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round matchup, when the Rams ran the Cowboys off the field in a laugher.

The Rams trail the Minnesota Vikings by one game for the second Wild Card spot in the NFC, but they cannot afford to give up any more games period. With that in mind, there is no doubt the Rams are the team most in need of a victory this week.

Next. NFL's 5 best bets in Week 15. dark

Home/NFL Schedule