The Los Angeles Rams are chasing history, and not the kind they were hoping for.
If the Rams overcome their 2-4 record to reach the Super Bowl this year, Los Angeles would be the first team in the Super Bowl era to post a losing record through six weeks and still win its conference, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. The 17-game schedule and 14-team playoff field make a turnaround easier than it used to be, but Barnwell notes the Rams would still have to overcome roughly 60 years of precedent to reach the Super Bowl in Inglewood, California, in February.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gave the Rams a 13.4% chance to win the Super Bowl before the season, second only to Seattle. That’s now 1.8% — 15th in the league. Their playoff odds dropped from
83.1% to 35.3%, and their chance of winning the NFC West is under 1% with the 49ers off to a 5-0 start and holding a tiebreaker.
That likely means the Rams would have to go the Wild Card route, which Barnwell notes was a grind even for last year’s team. That group started 9-2, ceded the division to Seattle, survived the Panthers and Bears on the road, and lost the NFC title game in the Seahawks’ building. It would also require other Wild Card contenders to get worse over the next 11 weeks, which isn't a guarantee considering the NFC North has four contending teams in the Lions, Packers, Bears and undefeated Vikings.
There is a path, though. Three of the Rams’ next four games are on the road, but they come against the Raiders, Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals before the Week 11 bye. They’re 1-3 in one-score games, and their only comprehensive loss was the season opener against the 49ers in Melbourne.
Still, the Rams need a winning streak before the bye, or the expectation that they were a lock for the postseason will fall too.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams must beat historical odds to make Super Bowl after 2-4 start
