Rams Week 15 Rooting Guide: LA Playoff Odds Analysis

Rams Week 15 Rooting Guide: LA Playoff Odds Analysis

The Los Angeles Rams will not be in action today after beating the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night to pick up their eighth win of the season, moving them two games over .500. The win significantly improved the Rams’ playoff odds, now improving them to 50%, but there are plenty of other games in Week 15 that will have postseason implications.

Using the New York Times playoff simulator, these five games will all have an impact on the Rams’ playoff odds, with Los Angeles hoping for a clear team. If all of the outcomes listed below occur, the Rams’ postseason chances increase from 50% to 66%.

Here’s the Rams’ Week 15 rooting guide for Sunday and Monday.

Saints over Commanders (1:00 p.m. ET)

Playoff odds with Saints win: 53%
Playoff odds with a victory for the Commanders: 49%

Although the Rams have their sights firmly set on winning the NFC West, it’s not impossible for them to make the playoffs as a wild card team. The Commanders are a half-game ahead of the Rams at 8-5, meaning Los Angeles can move into a tie for the seventh seed if Washington loses to the Saints.

And if there is a win tiebreaker in the NFC West and both teams finish with the same record, a Saints win will help the Rams since they’ve already beaten New Orleans.

Patriots over Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET)

Playoff odds with a Patriots win: 53%
Playoff odds with a win for the Cardinals: 49%

Of course, the Rams want their division rivals to lose. The Cardinals are 6-7 and are quickly falling out of contention in the NFC West, and a loss to the Patriots on Sunday would put them two games behind the Rams and possibly three behind the Seahawks if Seattle wins.

And again, the Rams have already beaten the Patriots, so a win from them will help Los Angeles win the tiebreaker.

Packers over Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET)

Playoff odds with a Packers win: 57%
Playoff odds with a Seahawks win: 41%

The Packers are likely vying for a wild-card spot with the NFC North under the Lions’ control, but the Rams would still benefit if Green Bay beats the Seahawks. That’s because Los Angeles is just half a game behind Seattle, while Green Bay is a game and a half ahead in the wild-card race – and the Rams have already lost to the Packers.

This is actually the Rams’ most consequential game this week, so a Packers win would help Los Angeles a lot.

Bills over Lions (4:25 p.m. ET)

Playoff odds with Bills win: 50%
Playoff odds with Lions win: 50%

The Rams won’t catch the Lions, and neither will the Bills in the NFC. So it doesn’t seem like this game has any impact on the Rams’ playoff odds. However, if the division comes down to strength of victory, the better the Bills’ record, the more advantageous it is to the Rams.

Los Angeles defeated Buffalo, while Seattle lost to the Bills. So a Bills win will give the Rams a possible tiebreaker.

Robbers over Falcons (Mon. 8:30 p.m. ET)

Playoff odds with a Raiders win: 50%
Playoff odds with a win for the Falcons: 49%

This is the final game of the week and the playoff implications are relatively small for the Rams. The Falcons are 6-7 and could hope for a wild card berth if the Buccaneers run away with the NFC South. Therefore, any loss by Atlanta could help the Rams if Los Angeles sneaks in as a wild card team.

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