The Los Angeles Rams won’t be in action today after beating the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, notching their eighth win of the season to get two games above .500. The win greatly helped the Rams’ playoff odds, improving them to 50% as of now, but there are plenty of other games in Week 15 that will have postseason implications.
Using the New York Times’ playoff simulator, these five games will all have an impact on the Rams’ playoff odds, with one clear side for Los Angeles to root for. If all of the results below happen, the Rams’ postseason chances will improve from 50% to 66%.
Here is the Rams’ Week 15 rooting guide for Sunday and Monday.
Saints over Commanders (1 p.m. ET)
Playoff odds with Saints win: 53%
Playoff odds with Commanders win: 49%
Although the Rams’ sights are set squarely on winning the NFC West, it’s not impossible for them to get into the playoffs as a wild-card team. The Commanders are 8-5, a half-game ahead of the Rams, so Los Angeles can pull into a tie for the seventh seed if Washington loses to the Saints.
Plus, if the NFC West comes down to a strength of victory tiebreaker in the event that both teams finish with the same record, a win by the Saints will help the Rams since they already beat New Orleans.
Patriots over Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET)
Playoff odds with Patriots win: 53%
Playoff odds with Cardinals win: 49%
Of course the Rams want their division rivals to lose. The Cardinals are 6-7 and quickly falling out of contention in the NFC West, and a loss to the Patriots on Sunday will drop them two games behind the Rams and possibly three behind the Seahawks if Seattle wins.
And again, the Rams already beat the Patriots so a win by them will help Los Angeles’ strength of victory tiebreaker.
Packers over Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET)
Playoff odds with Packers win: 57%
Playoff odds with Seahawks win: 41%
The Packers are likely vying for a wild-card berth with the NFC North in the Lions’ control, but the Rams would still benefit from Green Bay beating the Seahawks. That’s because Los Angeles is only a half-game behind Seattle, while Green Bay is up a game and a half in the wild-card race – and the Rams already lost to the Packers.
This is actually the most consequential game for the Rams all week, so a Packers win would greatly help Los Angeles.
Bills over Lions (4:25 p.m. ET)
Playoff odds with Bills win: 50%
Playoff odds with Lions win: 50%
The Rams aren’t going to catch the Lions, nor are the Bills in the NFC. So it may not seem like this game has an impact on the Rams’ playoff odds. However, if the division comes down to strength of victory, the better the Bills’ record, the more beneficial it is for the Rams.
Los Angeles beat Buffalo, while Seattle lost to the Bills. So a win by the Bills will help the Rams with a potential tiebreaker.
Raiders over Falcons (8:30 p.m. ET Mon)
Playoff odds with Raiders win: 50%
Playoff odds with Falcons win: 49%
This is the final game of the week and the playoff implications are fairly minimal for the Rams. The Falcons are 6-7 and could be angling for a wild-card spot if the Buccaneers run away with the NFC South, so every loss by Atlanta could help the Rams in the event that Los Angeles sneaks in as a wild-card team.
