In a season that looked lost after stumbling to a 1-4 start, the Los Angeles Rams have suddenly emerged as one of the hottest teams in football. Their improbable resurgence continued on Saturday night with a gritty 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals that pushed them to the brink of an unlikely playoff berth.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has orchestrated the Rams’ turnaround, said he was “proud” of how his team has battled back in the face of adversity and doubt. “A lot of people were writing us off at 1-4,” Stafford noted after the game. “To sit here now with our record where it is, I feel proud of this group.”
Rams On The Brink Of Playoffs
The victory, LA’s fifth in a row and ninth in their last 11 games, means the Rams can clinch a playoff spot as soon as this weekend depending on other results around the league. After the Seahawks won on Thursday night, the Rams knew they needed a win over Arizona plus some help – specifically 3.5 or more wins by the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Bengals or Browns. The Bengals obliged with a win over Denver earlier on Saturday.
Still, Rams head coach Sean McVay isn’t getting ahead of himself just yet. While LA can lock up a postseason trip prior to their Week 18 finale in Seattle, McVay insisted his focus remains squarely on preparing for that matchup with the Seahawks.
“Our focus and concentration will be on how do we get an opportunity to play a complete game against an excellent Seattle Seahawks football team? Until we have to decide otherwise, that’s where my sole focus and concentration will be.”
– Sean McVay, Rams head coach
Playoff Scenarios In Play
The most straightforward path for the Rams to clinch a playoff spot and the NFC West title would be:
- A Rams win over the Seahawks in Week 18
- One more win from the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Bengals or Browns in Week 17 to secure the strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Seattle
However, if enough of those teams win this weekend, the Rams could find themselves playoff bound before even taking the field in Seattle. McVay admitted it would be meaningful to lock up a spot early, even as he tries to avoid getting emotionally invested in other teams’ results.
“What I don’t want to do is get ahead because you get emotionally invested in other people’s games and that never has really served me very well. So we’ll watch it. I’ll tell myself to not get invested and then you will.”
– Sean McVay on watching Week 17 games
Gritty Win Over Cardinals
While the final score may not jump off the page, the Rams’ 13-9 victory over Arizona was a masterclass in closing out tight games. LA’s defense held the Cardinals to just three field goals, while the offense did just enough to secure the win despite not finding the end zone until the fourth quarter.
It was the type of blue-collar, grind-it-out win that has become the Rams’ calling card during this five-game surge. Stafford noted how satisfying it was to come out on top in a game where “not everything is perfect.”
“I love these types of games. Not everything is perfect… You’ve got to go out there and find ways to win.”
– Matthew Stafford on embracing ugly wins
A Remarkable Turnaround
Regardless of how the playoff scenarios unfold, the Rams have already authored one of the most impressive in-season turnarounds in recent memory. Left for dead at 1-4, they’ve looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders over the past two months.
Their resurgence has been spearheaded by the steady play of Stafford, a revitalized rushing attack, and an opportunistic defense that seems to deliver in the game’s biggest moments. It’s a winning formula that has LA eyeing much more than just sneaking into the postseason.
As the Rams head into the regular season’s final week, they do so brimming with the confidence of a team that has navigated adversity and come out the other side battle-tested and hungry. Whether they punch their playoff ticket this weekend or next, one thing is clear – this is a team nobody will be eager to face come January.
