Even though the Los Angeles Rams are sitting in second place in the NFC West and just one game back for the division lead, their odds to make the playoffs aren’t great – at least based on analytics and simulations.
There’s a long way to go in the regular season but the Rams need to get on a hot streak if they’re going to secure a playoff berth in January.
According to the New York Times, the Rams only have a 21% chance to make the playoffs. Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles will have a big impact on their postseason odds, though. If the Rams beat the Eagles, their playoff odds will jump 9%, but if they lose, they’ll drop by 8%.
- Current odds: 21%
- With win: 30%
- With loss: 13%
The clearest path to the postseason for the Rams is as the division champion, given how clumped together everyone in the NFC West is. The Cardinals play the Seahawks on Sunday, so if they lose and the Rams win, Los Angeles would pull into a tie with Arizona and Seattle for first. San Francisco can also tie the lead if it beats the Packers this week.
According to the New York Times’ projections, the games with the biggest impact on the Rams’ playoff odds are against the 49ers (37% with win) and Cardinals (32% with win). That doesn’t mean they can take their other five opponents lightly, but those two games will carry more weight than the rest.