The Cardinals and 49ers take care of their business in Week 10
The Rams must beat the Dolphins on Monday Night Football or L.A.’s 3-game winning streak could be too little, too late. That’s because the 49ers eked out a win over the Bucs to improve to 5-4 with a 3-3 conference record and the Cardinals beat the Jets 31-6.
The Cardinals have a significant leg up on the Rams going into Week 11, if L.A. loses to Miami. It might be midseason, but the games are starting to feel like “must win territory” despite relatively close standings in the NFC West.
6-4 Cardinals, 2-0 division record, 1-0 vs Rams
5-4 49ers, 1-2 division record, 0-1 vs Rams
4-4 Rams, 2-1 division record, 1-0 vs Seahawks, 1-0 vs 49ers, 0-1 vs Cardinals
4-5 Seahawks, 0-2 division record, 0-1 vs Rams, 0-1 vs 49ers
The Cardinals have won four straight games. They also beat the Rams 41-10 in Week 2.
So if the Rams fell two games behind Arizona, it increases the likelihood that L.A. will need to beat the Cardinals in Week 17 just to have any chance at making the playoffs. Being tied with the Cardinals at the end of the season still might not be good enough, as Arizona could have a commanding 3-0 division record if they beat the Seahawks in Week 12 after their bye week.
Essentially, the Rams would need to be 3 wins better than the Cardinals over a 7-game period and those are not good odds. This only matters if the Rams lose to the Dolphins, which is why beating Miami on Monday is more important than ever.