The Los Angeles Rams were already facing an uphill battle in the playoff picture after opening with a 2-4 record, but the San Francisco 49ers made those odds even slimmer after beating the Washington Commanders on Monday night. According to the latest playoff odds by ESPN, the Rams have a 35% chance to make the postseason, and 34% of those odds come as a wild card.
L.A. has less than a 1% chance to win the NFC West after starting 2-4 and the 49ers starting 6-0 with a win over the Rams.
Perhaps the
only silver lining is that the Rams still have better playoff odds than seven other teams in the NFC, with a large lead over the New York Giants, the closest team to them with worse odds at 16%.
With San Francisco undefeated through six games, Los Angeles cannot afford any more setbacks if it hopes to claim a playoff spot. The Rams have 11 games to turn things around, but the 49ers’ fast start has made winning the NFC West a unlikely option.
That means Los Angeles may need to shift its focus toward the NFC’s three wild-card spots. The expanded playoff format gives three non-division winners a postseason berth, but the competition is expected to be fierce as the season progresses. Teams that stumble early can quickly find themselves chasing multiple contenders for one of those coveted positions.
The Rams must win in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. A victory would move Los Angeles closer to .500 and help prevent the gap between the Rams and the current NFC’s playoff contenders from growing any wider.
Current NFC Standings…
#1 Seed: San Francisco 49ers (6-0)
The 49ers are controlling the physicality of the NFC with a top 5 offense and defense.
#2 Seed: Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
The Vikings have a strong grip on the NFC North, with a two game lead over the Detroit Lions. The Vikings have divisional wins over the Bears and Packers.
#3 Seed: New York Giants (3-2-1)
The NFC East is a laughing stock as the the current starting quarterbacks are Jameis Winston, the often-hurt Jayden Daniels, Tanner McKee, and Dak Prescott. I foresee the Cowboys winning the division in the long run. If they don’t, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys may find themselves separating after the year.
#4 Seed: Carolina Panthers (3-2)
Carolina should be able to win the NFC South unless they suffer some sort of significant injury and Atlanta can gain ground.
#5 Seed: Green Bay Packers (4-2)
The Packers have heated up in the last three weeks but their SOS is only .457 and SOV is .375.
#6 Seed: Chicago Bears (4-2)
Chicago is probably the best team in the NFC North and it’ll be a matter of time to see if the Vikings can hold on in the NFC North once they play tougher teams.
#7 Seed: Detroit Lions (3-2)
The Lions have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL so they will probably grab one of the three wild card spots. The Rams will need the Packers, Bears, or Seahawks to drop out out of the picture to grab the 6th or 7th seed.
#8 Seed: Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
The defending champions are on a two game slide after losses to the 49ers and Broncos. Next on tap for Seattle is Kansas City and Chicago…
#9 Seed: Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
#10 Seed: New Orleans Saints (2-4)
#11 Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
#12 Seed: Dallas Cowboys (2-4)
#13 Seed: Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
#14 Seed: Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
The Rams have not gotten out to a great start for the fourth consecutive year but they had to face a brutal first five game schedule (.712 SOS) that included a 18 hour trip to Melbourne, Australia. The road is much lighter in the middle of their schedule and should allow them to pick up steam. Even despite that, the Rams offense proves to be one of the best in the NFL while Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett get up to full speed by the midway point.
San Francisco may in fact win the division because of their easy schedule but Los Angeles has their work cut out for themselves to earn the #5, #6, or #7 seed in the NFC.
