The Rams will be able to rest starters in Week 18 if these stars align:
The stars are aligning nicely for the Los Angeles Rams to finish in first place of the NFC West division and clinch a playoff berth before Week 18. This would potentially allow Sean McVay to rest key starters in the final game against the Seattle Seahawks, which would be an important outcome for a team that has battled injuries this season.
Here’s what needs to happen for the Rams to take the NFC West crown this week:
LA Rams clinch NFC West title with:
– LAR win + SEA loss or tie
– LAR tie + SEA loss
– LAR win + LAR clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over SEAThe Rams clinch the strength of victory over Seattle with 3.5 or more wins from the following teams: MIN, BUF, SF, WAS, CIN, CLE.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 24, 2024
The Rams need the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders, Bengals and Browns to combine for 4 wins over the next two games to claim strength of victory over the Seahawks. All six teams are playing at home this week and four of the six are favored to win.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 24, 2024
The Chicago Bears will host the Seahawks on Thursday night, so the Rams will know the outcome of that game when they take the field against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend. If the Bears upset Seattle, then LA can wear their “NFC West champion” hats assuming they take care of business against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
How likely is it that Chicago pulls out a win against Seattle? Well, it’s not too probable considering that the Bears are just 4-11 this season; however, Caleb Williams played well last week against the Detroit Lions. The rookie QB completed 26 of 40 passes (65% completion) for 334 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the Bears’ leading rusher with 34 yards. Chicago is a talented enough team to show up in spurts, though at this point they are already turning an eye to 2025.
Not that they want to chance it, but even if the Rams lose to the Cardinals this weekend, Seattle is still left with an uphill climb to take the division and make the playoffs. The Seahawks need to win the strength of schedule criterion based on common opponents; however, teams in the Rams’ corner are favored in four of the six key games just this week. The Rams just need four wins out the group of the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns over the next two weeks.
If the Rams lose to Arizona and haven’t yet clinched the division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the NFL schedule Rams-Seahawks in Week 18 on Saturday. This would leave anticipation for the remaining games on Sunday and give fans some rooting interests.
