The Los Angeles Rams took care of business against the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon, beating them on the road, 19-9. The win improved their playoff odds, and less than an hour later, they got an early Christmas gift from the Carolina Panthers, of all teams.
In a shocking upset, the Panthers took down the Arizona Cardinals at home, 36-30, in overtime. It was a result few people saw coming, but the Panthers pulled off the win and took down the Cardinals.
In doing so, the Panthers eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention, ending any hope of making a postseason run in Week 16. By no means was that a guaranteed victory for the Cardinals, especially being on the road, but that was a game Arizona fully expected to win.
The Cardinals’ loss takes some of the excitement and anticipation out of Saturday night’s game against the Rams, but Los Angeles will take the gift and hopefully run with it. Now, the only team standing in the Rams’ way in the NFC West is the Seahawks, who are currently playing the Vikings.
The Rams came into the week with a 76% of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com, but that number will increase significantly after Sunday’s results.
