By no means are the Los Angeles Rams out of the running for the NFC West title, but as Yogi Berra once said, it’s getting late early.
In the first five weeks of the season, the Rams have stumbled their way to a disappointing 2-3 record. The Seattle Seahawks haven’t been much better, only going 3-2 to start the year, but the San Francisco 49ers have been perfect thus far.
They’re 5-0 and sitting atop the division, three games ahead of the Rams. To make matters worse, San Francisco has already beaten the Rams once, so there’s no way for Los Angeles to win the initial head-to-head tiebreaker in the division. Essentially, the Rams are three and a half games back of the 49ers.
The Arizona Cardinals, who the Rams play next, are in the basement at 1-4
after losing their fourth straight.
NFC West standings
- 49ers: 5-0 (3-0 in NFC West)
- Seahawks: 3-2 (1-1)
- Rams: 2-3 (0-1)
- Cardinals: 1-4 (0-2)
The 49ers knocked off the Seahawks in thrilling fashion on Sunday afternoon to win their fifth straight, coming back in the fourth quarter to win 32-29 in the final minutes. The Cardinals were blown out by the Lions at home, and the Rams lost a heartbreaker to the Bills on Monday night, 37-34.
The Rams have yet to lose consecutive games, and they'll try to avoid doing so on Sunday when they host the Cardinals. The Seahawks face the Broncos on Thursday night and the 49ers play the Commanders on Monday night, so it's possible the Rams could pull into a tie with Seattle by the end of Week 6.
The Rams and Seahawks don't meet until Week 16, and then again in Week 18, so if the 49ers keep winning the way they have been, that game may not have any impact on the NFC West race come December.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFC West standings: Rams already falling far behind undefeated 49ers
