With one loss, the Los Angeles Rams fell from the top of the NFC down to a wild-card spot in the playoffs. Their blown fourth-quarter lead against the Seattle Seahawks looks even worse now that the Rams are out of NFC West contention and guaranteed to go on the road in the first round of the postseason, but that’s the situation they find themselves in.
Before even playing in Week 17, the Rams learned their playoff fate on Sunday. The Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Bears in the nightcap, eliminating the Rams from the divisional race and No. 1 seed contention.
Now, Los Angeles is certain to be the fifth or sixth seed in the NFC regardless of what happens the rest of the way. And in all likelihood, the Rams will wind up as the No. 5 seed and go on the road to face the winner of the NFC South.
Here are the possible scenarios for the Rams to earn each seed.
How the Rams can clinch the No. 5 seed
Potential first-round opponents: Panthers or Buccaneers
The Rams’ simplest path to the fifth seed is simply beating the Falcons and Cardinals. If they do that, they will face the winner of the NFC South in the first round of the playoffs. They can also get away with losing to the Falcons if they beat the Cardinals next week and the 49ers lose to the Seahawks.
One other unlikely scenario involves the Rams winning tonight, tying the Cardinals and the 49ers losing to Seattle.
As the No. 5 seed, the Rams would face either the Panthers or Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
How the Rams can clinch the No. 6 seed
Potential first-round opponents: Eagles or Bears
If the Rams lose to the Cardinals in the finale, it doesn’t matter what else happens. They will be the No. 6 seed because they will lose the divisional record tiebreaker to the 49ers, giving San Francisco the No. 5 seed.
If the Rams lose to the Falcons but beat the Cardinals, they will be the No. 6 seed if the 49ers also win against the Seahawks. That would give San Francisco the NFC West and make the Seahawks the No. 5 seed.
As the No. 6 seed, the Rams would visit either the Bears or Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams playoff scenarios: How LA can clinch No. 5 or 6 seed in NFC
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
