The Los Angeles Rams firmly control their destiny to the NFC West crown and a playoff berth. But the Seattle Seahawks are breathing down their necks, meaning they must finish strong, especially knowing a Week 18 matchup between the two looms.
Following a disappointing 1-4 start, Los Angeles righted the ship, impressively rattling off eight victories across their next 10 contests. Thanks to the hot streak, the Rams have vaulted atop the divisional standings, though officially clinching anything in Week 17 is improbable (albeit not impossible). However, prevailing over the Arizona Cardinals can only help the team's cause.
Heading into their encore clash with the Cardinals, here's what's on the line for the Rams.
Rams playoff scenarios for Week 17
Since the Seahawks already played and won their Week 17 Thursday Night Football showdown with the Chicago Bears, the Rams aren't necessarily in "win-and-in" territory. Yet, irrespective of how they fare against the Cardinals, Los Angeles has the inside track to securing the 2024 divisional title.
Even if the Seahawks march into SoFi Stadium and beat the Rams, Los Angeles has a significant advantage in terms of strength of victory. So, assuming the Rams edge out the already-eliminated Cardinals, their superior résumé will be the difference -- regardless of what Seattle does.
In other words, Seattle needs help (and lots of it). Before they need to take down the Rams in their forthcoming partially decisive regular-season finale, the Seahawks will be scoreboard-watching. How their past opponents make out will have monumental ramifications on whether they can legitimately surpass Los Angeles in a tiebreak scenario.
Nonetheless, as convincing betting favorites versus Arizona, the Rams can make it mathematically far-fetched for Seattle to leapfrog them by handling their business. Exacting revenge on the Cardinals to split the season series would go a long way for Los Angeles. Doing so gives them a viable alternative path to the NFL's annual single-game elimination tournament in case the Seahawks win in Week 18.
While the Rams are in the driver's seat, they can't get too comfortable.