The Los Angeles Rams badly needed a week off. They’re battling too many injuries and now with a bye in Week 7, several players will have an extra week to rest and recover before the team visits the 49ers in Week 8.
While it stinks that the Rams won’t be playing this Sunday afternoon, there are still some relevant games taking place this week when it comes to the team’s playoff chances. Here are six games to keep an eye on.
Saints at Cardinals: Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Week 7 gets underway on Thursday night with an NFC matchup between the Saints and Cardinals. It’s the return of DeAndre Hopkins and for the Cardinals, they desperately need a win after starting the year 2-4. A win would put them a half-game behind the Rams in the NFC West. A loss would sink them to 2-5, which would be a huge blow to their playoff chances.
Buccaneers at Panthers: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The Bucs are 3-3 just like the Rams, and the start to their season has felt similar to Los Angeles’. They’ve underwhelmed on offense and while the defense has played relatively well, there are serious concerns about the state of the offense. The Rams should hope Tampa Bay loses in case both teams end up battling for a wild card spot.
Lions at Cowboys: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The Cowboys already beat the Rams and currently sit at 4-2. It’ll be hard for them to win the NFC East with the Eagles being 6-0, so they could be competing for a wild-card berth with the Rams down the road. Any loss by an NFC contender is good for the Rams, and with the Lions being only 1-4, they’re not much of a concern for Los Angeles.
Packers at Commanders: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The Packers are another NFC team that was expected to be one of the best in the conference, but like the Rams and Bucs, they’re also 3-3. The Commanders have looked terrible through six weeks but the Rams would take an upset win over the Packers this weekend to sink Green Bay a little bit further in the conference standings.
Seahawks at Chargers: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
The Seahawks are somehow relevant this year after trading Russell Wilson, which wasn’t at all to be expected. They can thank Geno Smith for that, and at 3-3, they’re very much in the race for the NFC West title. The Rams haven’t faced Seattle yet but they won’t be an easy out, so Los Angeles has to hope the Seahawks start losing some games.
Chiefs at 49ers: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
This is the big one. The Chiefs have no bearing on the Rams’ playoff chances, but the 49ers certainly do. They’re 3-3 and can take the lead outright over the Rams in the division by beating Kansas City on Sunday. For the Rams’ sake, hopefully that doesn’t happen, but this will be a good measuring stick game for San Francisco.
