NFL Media Makes Bold Prediction About Los Angeles Rams
It's hard to have any sort of moral victories in December, but the Los Angeles Rams came as close as you possibly can in Week 14, losing in overtime on the road to the Baltimore Ravens, perhaps the best team in the AFC currently.
At 6-7, the Rams are currently the first team out of the NFC playoff picture, by virtue of their Week 9 loss to the Green Bay Packers, who are also 6-7. However, the Rams currently own tiebreakers over the three other 6-7 teams -- the Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints -- so they will be in good position if they can usurp the Packers.
To that end, NFL Media's Adam Schein recently released his bold predictions for the remainder of the season, and believes that coach Sean McVay's squad will find a way into the postseason.
Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams are in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.
Tommy Gilligan/USA Today
"But the Vikings, currently holding the No. 6 seed, don't have a quarterback. The Packers, sitting at No. 7, cannot be trusted. And the Seahawks, one spot below the Rams in the playoff standings, are coming apart at the seams with four straight losses," Schein wrote of the teams Los Angeles is competing with. "I think the Rams win three of their last four and punch a wild-card ticket at 9-8."
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams are 6.5-point favorites against the Washington Commanders in Week 15, a team that's essentially playing out the remaining games on their schedule.
With the excellent receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at his disposal, Stafford and the Rams should also be favored in Week 16 when they host the New Orleans Saints and Week 17 when they travel to New Jersey to face the Giants.
Los Angeles finishes their schedule at San Francisco in Week 18, which could be a tough test considering the 49ers are pretty universally considered the best team in the sport currently.
There's an outside chance, though, that the 49ers won't put their best foot forward in the game if they've already locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Regardless, if the Rams are able to sneak into the playoffs a year after going 5-12, it would be a pretty remarkable turnaround considering they entered the season with seemingly one of the worst rosters in the sport. It may also be enough to convince three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald -- who has weighed retirement in each of the last two offseasons -- to come back for another season.
