The Los Angeles Rams are sitting nicely heading into their bye week at 5-2. Given that the Rams played teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens, 5-2 is not something to complain about. A serious argument can be made that the Rams should be 7-0. A made field goal against the Eagles and a touchdown from Kyren Williams and this team is undefeated. They currently have an 82 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 41 percent chance to win the NFC West.
At the same time, there is a reason that the season doesn’t really start until after the bye week. While the Rams may have five wins, they are the least important wins that they will have all year. This is a team that is 4-0 against the AFC South with their fifth win coming against the Baltimore Ravens.
To put it simply, the Rams are 5-0 against the AFC while being 0-1 in the NFC West and 0-1 against another NFC opponent. While it’s far too early to start discussing tiebreakers, at the end of the year, those things add up. It’s odd scheduling that all five of the Rams’ AFC opponents have come within the first seven games. Still, when they have had chances against NFC opponents, they have come up short for one reason or another.
That’s not to say that those wins against the AFC don’t matter. It’s a reason why the Rams won the NFC West last season. They won due to the strength-of-victory tiebreaker, which was actually the fifth tiebreaker. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head which the Rams already don’t have over the 49ers and Eagles. That then moves to record in division games, and then common games. The fourth tiebreaker is record in games played within the conference which the Rams are 0-2.
It’s a reason why the next month of football is so important, but really the next two months. While the Rams should be able to get a win against the New Orleans Saints out of the bye week, their next three games are against the 49ers, Seahawks, and Buccaneers in back-to-back-to-back weeks.
Winning all three of those games would set the Rams up to make a serious run over the second half of the season. However, just winning two of those would put them in a good spot. Going 1-2 with another loss to the 49ers or 0-3 would have them scratching and clawing for a playoff spot at the end of the year in what has been a very tight NFC. It’s very likely that these tiebreakers come into play.
Despite being 5-2, the Rams would only be the seventh seed if the postseason started this week. The NFC may not have one dominant team, but it’s much more competitive and a lot deeper than it has been in past years. Since starting 0-2, the Chicago Bears have won four straight and found their rhythm. The Packers and Lions also look good in the NFC North. Three teams in the NFC West currently sit at 5-2. The Seahawks look like one of the stronger teams in the NFL. While the 49ers are injured, their schedule is favorable enough that they can manage it.
At the end of the day, the Rams simply need to focus on themselves and take care of business. They are currently projected to win 11 games. However, an argument can be made that they go 8-2 down the stretch and finish 13-4. Over the last two seasons, the Rams have played some of their best football in the second half of the season. If they do that this time around, they haven’t dug themselves a hole to climb out of. Instead, they’ve set themselves up to compete for a top seed in the NFC. The Rams have grown into the 2025 season and set themselves up well at 5-2. When they return from their bye next week, the real season begins.
