Can the Colts pull off the upset against the Seahawks if they start Rivers?
Though the Los Angeles Rams control their own destiny when it comes to the NFC West and No. 1 seed, they wouldn’t mind a little help from their friends. Any losses by teams also in contention for a playoff spot could benefit the Rams, especially now that the regular season is winding to a close.
This week, there are a number of games with playoff implications. The Rams first want to take care of business themselves by beating the Detroit Lions but it’d be nice if a few other teams dropped in the standings, too.
Here’s a look at the Rams’ Week 15 rooting guide.
Philip Rivers, of all people, could help the Rams this weekend – if he’s named the Colts’ starter less than a week after coming out of retirement to play his first game since 2020. If it’s not Rivers, the Rams will be pulling for rookie Riley Leonard to pull off an unlikely upset against the Seahawks, who are tied with the Rams at 10-3.
The division and No. 1 seed could come down to Rams-Seahawks in Week 16 but a stunning upset by the Colts would give Los Angeles some breathing room – assuming the Rams win this weekend.
The Packers are just a half-game behind the Rams for the top spot in the conference so if they win and Los Angeles loses, it’ll be Green Bay taking over control of the No. 1 seed. The Broncos are an 11-win team themselves so it’s not going to be easy for Green Bay to win, especially being on the road in Denver. As of now, the Packers are 2.5-point road favorites.
Tennessee Titans (at San Francisco 49ers)
Can Cam Ward and the Titans make it two straight wins? Unlikely, especially given the 12.5-point spread. But if the Titans can miraculously beat the 49ers, it’ll either keep the Rams’ cushion at one game or potentially grow to two games if they also beat the Lions. If the Rams and 49ers are tied with the same record, San Francisco will pull ahead thanks to its divisional record.
The Bears dropped from No. 1 to 7 with their loss to Green Bay last week but they’re not out of it yet. At 9-4, they’re just one game behind the Rams and would have a conference record tiebreaker over Los Angeles if the two were to finish with the same record. The Browns are predictably heavy underdogs but who knows with frigid conditions heading to Chicago.
The Eagles aren’t going to lose four in a row…are they? They’re 12-point favorites over the Raiders so it’s highly unlikely but stranger things have happened. Philadelphia is down bad right now but also not completely dead in the water, being two games behind the Rams while also holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Rams would likely have to lose their next two games in order for the Eagles to catch them.