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NFL Week 16 picks include Chargers, Eagles and Panthers

Lorenzo Reyes explains why he’s picking two underdogs from Sunday’s slate of games.

The Los Angeles Rams have authored quite the script thus far in 2025, but it remains to be seen how their story ends.

Sean McVay’s bunch entered Week 16 in possession of the NFC’s top seed in the playoff race, a coveted spot this time of year. With just three games to go, there wasn’t a lot standing in the way of Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Co.

The Seattle Seahawks had something to say before the dust settled, however.

Seattle’s win in the two teams’ Week 16 “Thursday Night Football” battle pushed the fate of the NFC playoff picture a bit further north, to northern California and the Pacific Northwest, as the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are now in control of their own destinies. The Rams are no longer able to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC just by winning out.

McVay’s team won’t have to worry about missing the postseason with the loss because it already clinched a spot in the dance. Now, it’s about seeing which table Los Angeles will be seated at.

Here’s a look at the Rams’ playoff odds, remaining schedule and overall NFC playoff picture:

Rams playoff odds

The Rams already clinched a playoff spot last week, meaning they will be in the postseason regardless of their loss on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 16.

They entered the week in possession of the NFC’s top seed, but their prime-time loss against the Seahawks pushed them from the No. 1 spot to No. 5 – the conference’s top wild-card spot.

The loss put L.A. a game behind Seattle with just two weeks left. A win would have put the Rams in firm control of the NFC’s top spot.

Rams remaining schedule

The Rams will face the NFL’s second-easiest schedule the remainder of the season, per Tankathon. Their matchup against the Seahawks was the last against a team with a winning record before the postseason.

Los Angeles will have to deal with a pair of NFC opponents that have been eliminated from playoff contention in the final few games:

NFC West standings

The NFC West is a tight race heading into the final three games. Here’s how the standings look entering Week 16:

Seattle Seahawks: 12-3 (3-2 in NFC West)Los Angeles Rams: 11-4 (3-2)San Francisco 49ers: 10-4 (4-1)Arizona Cardinals: 3-11 (0-5)NFC playoff pictureSeattle Seahawks (12-3; NFC West leaders)*Chicago Bears (10-4; NFC North leaders)Philadelphia Eagles (9-5; NFC East leaders)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7; NFC South leaders)Los Angeles Rams (11-4; wild card No. 1)*San Francisco 49ers (10-4; wild card No. 2)Green Bay Packers (9-4-1; wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-6); Carolina Panthers (7-7); Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)

Eliminated: Minnesota Vikings (6-8); Atlanta Falcons (5-9); New Orleans Saints (4-10); Washington Commanders (4-10); Arizona Cardinals (3-11); New York Giants (2-12)

An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot.