The Rams might already be dead in the water

At 2-4. the season might already be over for the Los Angeles Rams.

LA may need to win 10 games in order to make the postseason. The playoffs would wipe the slate clean. All it takes it earning a spot in the tournament. The rest is a matter of taking care of business.

But getting there would mean a 8-3 record over the final 11 regular season games.

Why are 10 wins needed? Because the Silver Bulletin is projecting three NFC teams (Rams, Packers, Bears) to finish with a 9-win record. The Rams could reasonably make the playoffs with nine wins, although their chances suddenly come down to factors outside of their control.

The Packers and Bears are also 4-2 currently. Both have battled early season struggles—in Chicago’s case missing Caleb Williams—to bounce back in resounding fashion. The Rams would need to keep pace with these teams and pull ahead by year’s end. That isn’t easy either.

So how likely would 10 wins be? It’s a difficult path.

After starting 3-0, the Raiders have dropped three-straight to fall to .500. This is a game the Rams should win, although they were also expected to trounce a 1-4 Cardinals team. We know that didn’t happen. Why should we be optimistic about their chances in Vegas?

The Rams would likely be favored in a rematch. Assuming Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett play in this game after missing the first matchup, these changes would seem to favor LA. However, we can’t count this as an automatic win after the Rams just suffered a disappointing loss to this team.

One of the most non-NFC West games left on the Rams’ schedule. Winning the NFC West is probably out of the picture at this point. LA is instead competing against the likes of the Packers, assuming they don’t win the NFC North and enter the playoffs as a division winner. The Rams will need this game for head-to-head and strength of schedule tiebreakers. In turn, losing this matchup would be catastrophic.

The Chiefs are undefeated at 5-0. Similar to the 49ers, they haven’t really been challenged much yet this season. They have a point differential of 57, which means on average they are winning by more than 10 points per game.

Getting back on track means the Rams must fare well in their divisional matchups. Three games remaining against the 49ers and Seahawks gives LA upside potential. It also means three contests against formidable foes. We know Week 1 against San Francisco wasn’t particularly close. LA’s injury woes have only gotten worse. Why should we expect a different outcome this time?

The Rams will finish the regular season facing Seattle in two of the last three games. The currently 1-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sandwiched in between.

There is a chance that Seattle already has a playoff berth locked up heading into the season finale. That could benefit the Rams if they choose to rest starters. But if the Seahawks are in full force this will likely be a close game.