For the first six games of the season, the Los Angeles Rams didn't have a single week where they gained ground on the division-leading San Francisco 49ers. In the last two weeks, though, the Rams picked up a game and a half on the NFC West leaders.
The Rams are riding a two-game winning streak, while the 49ers lost in Week 7 and had a bye in Week 8. So the Rams went from being four games back to now only trailing by 2.5 games. They still have a lot of work to do, but it's not an insurmountable deficit to overcome in the next 10 weeks.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks are now tied with the Rams at 4-4 after starting the season 2-0, losing three of their last four games – including Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Here's an updated look at the NFC
West standings, where things have gotten much tighter in the last two weeks.
NFC West standings
- 49ers: 6-1 (3-0 in NFC West)
- Seahawks: 4-4 (1-1)
- Rams: 4-4 (0-2)
- Cardinals: 3-5 (1-2)
It's up for debate whether Monday night's result was favorable for the Rams. On the one hand, the Seahawks losing is always a good thing. On the other, the NFC North could conceivably get at least three teams in the playoffs, so the Bears winning and improving to 6-2 could hurt the Rams' wild-card chances.
All four teams in the North are 5-3 or better, owning all three wild-card spots right now. So if the Rams can't come back to win the West, they'll need some of the North teams to stumble.
At this moment, the Rams are ninth in the NFC, so they still have ground to make up. They would love to win the division but if the 49ers start running away with it, they'll be rooting for the NFC North teams to lose some games – especially knowing Los Angeles still has two games against the Seahawks.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFC West standings: Rams gain ground on 49ers, pull even with Seahawks
