As big as Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills was, this Thursday’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers could have even greater playoff implications for the Los Angeles Rams.
As of now, the Rams’ postseason chances sit at 36%, according to the New York Times. The outcome of Thursday’s game will have a big impact on the Rams’ playoff odds, regardless of whether they win or lose. If the Rams win, their playoff odds will improve to 50%. If they lose, they’ll drop to only 25%.
Of course, those numbers will only be temporary until the Cardinals face the Patriots and the Seahawks face the Packers on Sunday. Both of those games can create another big swing in the Rams’ playoff odds.
With a win over the 49ers and a Seahawks loss, the Rams’ odds will improve to 54%. If the Rams and Seahawks both win, Los Angeles’ odds will only be 39%. Obviously, they’d rather the Cardinals lose, which will boost the Rams’ odds slightly to 41%.
The Saints-Commanders game also has sneaky implications for the Rams’ playoff chances. With Los Angeles only being one game behind Washington, a loss by the Commanders will help the Rams’ playoff outlook, as well.
In an ideal world, Los Angeles will beat San Francisco, the Saints will beat the Commanders, the Patriots will beat the Cardinals and the Packers will beat the Seahawks. If all of that goes according to plan, the Rams’ playoff chances will sit at around 65% at the end of Week 15.
Not bad for a team whose odds were sitting below 30% very recently.
