Monday Night Football brings a double-edged sword for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC playoff picture.
The Chicago Bears will travel to face the Seattle Seahawks. A loss would move Seattle to 4-4 and tied with the Rams in the NFC West race. Both are well behind the 6-1 San Francisco 49ers, at least for now.
But a Bears victory isn’t a straight-forward win for LA. Assuming the NFC South and NFC East are unlikely to produce a wildcard entrant, the Rams are indirectly competing with the Bears and other
NFC North teams for one of three non-divisional winner berths.
The Minnesota Vikings currently lead the north. They suffered they first loss on Sunday and fell to 6-1. The Detroit Lions and Bears are tied for second at 5-2, and the Green Bay Packers are hot on their tails with a 5-3 record.
Moving to 4-4 was a positive step for the Rams. They are still behind all the aforementioned teams, barring a Seattle loss on Monday night.
Fortunately for LA, they have two very winnable games on deck headed into their bye week. They’ll face the 1-4-1 Washington Commanders before a rematch with the Arizona Cardinals.
And while the Cardinals at 3-5 are just a single game behind LA, they are navigating a quarterback controversy. Arizona benched starter Jacoby Brissett against the Dallas Cowboys. Gardner Minshew provided a spark to lead the Cardinals to a surprising win over Dallas. Rookie Carson Beck could also factor into the starting QB conversation two weeks from now, especially since the Cardinals probably need to see him play before they position themselves to draft another signal caller this spring.
It’s still early in the NFL season. There is much up in the air.
Still, the NFC playoff picture is taking shape. The Rams aren’t only competing against the Seahawks. They are indirectly involved in the NFC North standings.
The results for Monday Night Football will give more clarity. The Bears could do LA a favor by sending Seattle to 4-4 and tied with the Rams.
