All hope seems to be lost for the Los Angeles Rams following Sunday night’s drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re 5-6 and have lost two of their last three games, but there is a silver lining.
The Rams are still just one game out of first place in the NFC West, which keeps them very much alive for a playoff berth. NFL Network’s Rich Eisen hasn’t ruled them out as a playoff team yet and he actually believes the Rams are on the verge of catching fire.
Eisen predicted the NFC playoff picture and he has Los Angeles winning five of its last six games to take the division title. He thinks they’ll beat the Saints, lose to the Bills and then win their final four games – three of which are against division rivals.
“I think the Rams win this week at New Orleans, I think they lose at home against Buffalo and I think they win out,” Eisen said. “I think they win out, starting with a big win in San Francisco. They take care of the Jets in New York and they win both games against divisional rivals at home. They are 10-7, they win the West and they’re the team that you don’t want to face in the playoffs. They make the playoffs, I think they win the West and I can’t believe I’m saying that coming off of what I just saw against the Eagles.”
Eisen did say he’s “concerned about their O-line” but he loves the way the pass rush looks.
“They can put pressure on the quarterback and if they do that, the back end can survive,” he said.
The Saints are a very beatable team for the Rams, but it’s a road game against a team that’s fresh off a bye. They then face the Bills at home, which is by far the toughest games left on the schedule. After that, they have the 49ers, Jets, Cardinals and Seahawks.
It’s not out of the question for the Rams to go 5-1 down the stretch like they did last year, but the road to the playoffs is still littered with hurdles. It starts with beating the Saints on Sunday, which will get them back to .500 at 6-6.
