The Los Angeles Rams are two more wins away from booking their ticket to the playoffs, after an abysmal 1-4 start to the season. The Rams battled through injuries and a difficult schedule to land on the brink of a home playoff game.
Sterling Xie of the Pro Football Network analyzed what the Rams would need to happen this week for them to clinch the NFC West before next week's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
"The Rams can clinch the NFC West in Week 17, even after the Seahawks’ win on Thursday night vs. the Chicago Bears," Xie said. "If the Rams win and any combination of four of either Washington, Minnesota, San Francisco, Buffalo, Cincinnati, or Cleveland win, they will be eliminated.
“LAR win + at least 3.5 wins among WAS, MIN, SF, BUF, CIN, and CLE. It is more complicated but relates to the strength of victory tiebreaker. In the event that the Seahawks and Rams both finish 10-7 (with Seattle beating Los Angeles in Week 18), they’ll be tied on each of the first four tiebreakers:
"If that occurs, the next tiebreaker is the strength of victory. The Rams have a significant edge in that category entering Week 17. Going into this week of games, the teams that Los Angeles has defeated have combined for 60 wins, compared to 51 combined wins for Seattle’s defeated opponents.
Xie noted that the Rams could clinch the division title this weekend with help from other teams. They could also simply win their next two games against NFC West foes to secure the division title.
"Thus, if that group of six teams combines for at least 3.5 wins in Week 17, the Rams will be guaranteed to finish with a higher strength of victory regardless of what happens in Week 18," Xie said. "The Rams beat the Vikings and Bills and swept the 49ers (the Seahawks lost to both Minnesota and Buffalo and went 1-1 vs. San Francisco). Therefore, those three teams winning helps the Rams’ strength of victory.
"The Washington Commanders (vs. Atlanta Falcons), Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Denver Broncos), and Cleveland Browns (vs. Miami Dolphins) all face teams that the Seahawks beat but the Rams either lost to or didn’t face. So those three teams winning hurts the Seahawks’ strength of victory. If at least four of those six teams win (or three wins plus one tie), the Rams will officially clinch strength of victory. Even if Los Angeles doesn’t clinch strength of victory this week, they have two full weeks to gain those 3.5 wins. So the Rams would almost certainly clinch the tiebreaker in Week 18 if it doesn’t this week."
As long as they continue to win, the Rams control their destiny.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as REPORT: Can the Rams Clinch the NFC West This Weekend?.