The Los Angeles Rams are in a great spot heading into a tough Week 11 bout with the Seattle Seahawks.
They look like one of the best teams in the NFL at 7-2 and are barreling toward a playoff spot regardless of the outcome of this game. According to Sebastian Carl, an NFL data expert, the Rams’ playoff probability shifts from 91% with a loss to 99% with a win. This effectively means that a win basically guarantees they’ll make the postseason, while a loss keeps them squarely in contention.
The reasons are pretty simple:
No. 1, the Rams already have seven wins with eight games to go. Most playoff teams have at least 10 teams.
No. 2, this is the first of two divisional matches against the Seahawks, and the Rams could even the head-to-head tiebreaker in Week 16, even if they lost this match.
No. 3, the NFC is very top-heavy this season. The Rams, Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles are the only teams with seven wins, and four other teams have six wins (one of which is the San Francisco 49ers, who could only get a Wild Card spot if they don’t win the division). A loss in Week 11 would knock the Rams down a peg, but not completely out of the playoff picture.
Now, the Rams still need to win this game. There are only 17 games in a given season, so every win matters more than the last. This is especially true for divisional games, and that’s why the Rams will effectively be playoff locks with a win over Seattle.
But it’s nice to know that while this is an incredibly important game, a loss isn’t the worst thing to happen to the Rams’ season.