The Rams still have a clear path back to the NFC West title and a first-round bye, but they’ll need some help

Though it may feel like the sky is falling for the Los Angeles Rams after Thursday night’s devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks, their season isn’t over. They still have two more regular-season games and are guaranteed one playoff game. It’s just that their playoff game may now be on the road on wild-card weekend instead of at home in the divisional round.

Had the Rams beaten the Seahawks and not blown a 16-point fourth-quarter lead, they would’ve had a 95% chance to win the division and a 90% shot at a first-round bye. Now, those odds have sunk to 24% and 20%, respectively.

But again, it’s not over.

The Rams still have a path to not only winning the division, but securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the first-round bye that comes with it.

First, they need to win their final two games against the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. If that happens, they’ll need some help from either the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears or San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams need the Seahawks to lose one of their final two games to the Panthers or 49ers. It doesn’t matter which one because in a scenario where the Rams and Seahawks both finish 13-4, Los Angeles wins the tiebreaker based on division record or record in common games.

If the Seahawks lose to the 49ers, though, the Rams need San Francisco to also lose one of its next two games to the Colts or Bears. There’s no scenario in which the Rams and 49ers both win out and finish 13-4 and Los Angeles wins the tiebreaker because San Francisco will have a better divisional record.

So, here’s the scenario laid out more clearly for the Rams to win the West and get the No. 1 seed:

Rams: Beat Falcons and Cardinals (13-4)Seahawks: Lose to Panthers and beat 49ers (13-4)49ers: Beat Colts and Bears, lose to Seahawks (12-5)Bears: Win/Lose vs. Packers, lose to 49ers, win/lose to Lions (12-5)

In other words:

Rams go 2-0 + Seahawks go 1-1 + 49ers go 2-1 + Bears go 2-1 = LA gets No. 1 seed

Because the 49ers will have lost to the Seahawks, and the Bears will have lost to the 49ers, neither of those teams will have won out to pull ahead of the Rams.

If the Rams finish 2-0, the Seahawks finish 1-1, and the 49ers and Bears both finish 2-1, no one can catch the Rams for the NFC West title or the No. 1 seed. It’s not likely, but it’s also nowhere near impossible.

The first step is to beat the Falcons and Cardinals, and then the Rams can start rooting for teams like the Panthers and Colts.