Los Angeles Rams In Playoff Race, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks Will Likely Decide NFC West

The Los Angeles Rams got a much-needed victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 11 of the 2019 NFL season. The win improved the defending NFC champions’ record to 6-4, keeping them alive in the playoff race.

A loss Sunday night would’ve been disastrous for L.A., likely ending their postseason chances. The odds are still against the Rams, who have plenty of work to do in their quest to make another Super Bowl appearance.

No division is more top-heavy than the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers are tied for the NFL’s best record. The Seattle Seahawks are a game out of first place and two games ahead of Los Angeles.

Both the 49ers and Seahawks have already beaten the Rams this season. Los Angeles needs to win in San Francisco and at home against Seattle to even have a chance of repeating as NFC West champions.

FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Rams 24/1 odds to win the division. Los Angeles’ most realistic shot of reaching the postseason might be as a wild-card team.

The Rams are also a long shot to earn the No.5 or No.6 seed in the NFC. Seattle has the first wild-card berth heading into Week 12. The Minnesota Vikings are the second wild-card team heading into their bye, leading Los Angeles by 1.5 games.

Nine or 10 wins should be enough to earn a wild-card spot in the AFC. It could take 11 or 12 wins to become an NFC wild-card team.

A Week 12 victory would pull the Rams within a game of the Vikings. That would mean beating the Baltimore Ravens, who are playing as well as any team in football. The Ravens are the AFC’s No.2 seed in the midst of a six-game winning streak that includes victories over the Seahawks, New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

Baltimore is an early 3.5-point favorite in Los Angeles for the upcoming “Monday Night Football” matchup, according to OddsShark.

Los Angeles will face the Arizona Cardinals twice. The Cardinals are the Rams’ only remaining opponent that isn’t in the current playoff picture.

A home game against the Seahawks, followed by trips to Dallas and San Francisco in Weeks 14-16 could ultimately determine Los Angeles’ fate.

Since starting the season on a three-game winning streak, the Rams are 0-3 against teams that have a .500 record or better.

The Rams led the NFC in scoring in each of Sean McVay’s first two seasons as head coach. Seven NFC teams are scoring more points per game than Los Angeles through 11 weeks.