How Critical Week 10 Matchup Could Swing Rams Playoff Hopes

The Los Angeles Rams still control their own dynasty. Week 10 could prove absolutely instrumental to their playoff hopes this season.

Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts with quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) after a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It's a bit weird to think of the fact that the Los Angeles Rams, a 6-2 team so far in the 2025 NFL season, are entering into a critical matchup in Week 10. Their upcoming game is a pivotal one for a few different reasons. Firstly, they take on the San Francisco 49ers, a divisional rival of theirs in the NFC West.

This is also a rematch, as the Rams already lost to the Niners in Week 5, 26-23 in overtime. Getting swept by San Francisco in any given year would be devastating. Doing so in a season when both teams are practically neck-to-neck in the standings and pushing for playoff bids would be especially deflating.

So, despite their 6-2 mark, the Rams have to ensure that they take care of business against the Niners and even the season series. They saw firsthand last year how crucial tiebreakers can be in a competitive division, as they sneaked into the playoffs over the Seattle Seahawks due to a rarely seen "strength of victory" tiebreaker. They'll want to avoid losing out to San Francisco in seeding due to the head-to-head record.

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Week 10 could be a huge swing for the Rams

Obviously, any win will increase a team's playoff chances, no matter how slim or secure they might be, unless they're mathematically eliminated or guaranteed a postseason bid already. In the same vein, a loss will make it less likely that the loser can advance. However, few individual games will have as great an impact as the Los Angeles Rams' upcoming bout with the San Francisco 49ers.

The NFC playoff race is absolutely brutal. There are ten teams in the conference that are at least .500 this season, going into Week 10. The NFC West picture is even more crowded, with three different organizations boasting six wins already: the Rams, the Niners, and the Seattle Seahawks.

-- WEEK 10 #NFL 🏈 Playoff Leverage --

Here you can see how the playoff probability of each team changes depending on whether they win or lose the next game. pic.twitter.com/L16J5YYq6h

— Sebastian (@mrcaseb) November 4, 2025

That's what makes LA's upcoming rematch with San Francisco so imperative. A recently released predictive model stated that the Rams could improve their chances of making the playoffs to 93 percent with a win over the Niners, while a loss would drop them to 74 percent. Conversely, San Francisco would move to 89 percent by sweeping LA this season, but allowing the Rams to tie the season series would move the Niners back to just 63 percent.

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