The Los Angeles Rams are 10-1 and lead the NFC West heading into week 13. And there’s a chance that one loss might be their only one of the season. That’s right — the LA Rams may not lose again. Of course, you can take this with a grain of salt. As we saw last night with the Saints, nothing is guaranteed. The Saints had gone into the Cowboy’s matchup with only one loss and nine games where they scored 30+ points. Against all odds, the Cowboys held them to 10 and stole a victory.
However, the Rams schedule is a lot easier, at least on paper. Here’s a look at what the Rams have coming up over the rest of the regular season.
Lions
The 4-7 Detroit Lions aren’t expected to be too much of a challenge for the Rams. One thing the Lions have going for them is the fact that this is their third home game in a row. They’ve had some of their best performances of the season at their home stadium, Ford Field. The Rams also haven’t played at 1 p.m. ET yet this season.
The Rams, though, are coming off of a bye week, so they’ve had some extra time to prepare for this game. In the previous 54-51 win over Kansas City, star Todd Gurley was unusually quiet due in part to an ankle injury he received during the game. However, Gurley is expected to be back in full force against the Lions.
Bears
The Chicago Bears are likely the biggest challenge the Rams will face through the rest of the regular season. The 8-3 Bears are the only team with a winning record left on the Rams’ schedule, and they’ve won five straight. The Bears’ defense is fourth in yards allowed and third in points. While the Bears have the better defense, LA has performed much better on offense. The Rams are second in the league in offensive scoring. Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky will likely be in his first game back from being injured, and it’s possible he’ll be rusty.
Eagles
In week 15, the Rams face the defending Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The birds’ performance this year, though, has been underwhelming, and the team has a 5-6 record. The Rams are expected to win, but the Eagles have proven that they can be surprising. They managed to keep their playoff hopes alive with a last-minute win over the Giants last week. Philadelphia will need to keep that fire alive if they want to get an unexpected win against the Rams, and it’s possible their desperation could make them a tougher challenge. It’s equally possible that by this time they’ll be out of the playoff hunt and a total pushover.
Cardinals
Next, the Rams will play the Arizona Cardinals whom they shut out in week 2. In the 34-0 win, the Rams only allowed five first downs and prevented the Cardinals from crossing the 50-yard line up until the last minute of the matchup. The Rams kept the Cardinals from scoring in two out of three of the teams’ last meetings. Arizona is 2-9 heading into week 13, and the Rams should be able to get another win if not a shutout.
49ers
The last game of the regular season will be against the San Fransisco 49ers who are also 2-9. When the two teams played last, LA won 39-10, got four takeaways and blocked a punt. Gurley scored three touchdowns and Jared Goff through two. The Rams are likely to come away with another win for their last game of the season. If they’ve secured a bye for the first week of the playoffs, they might not even need to play their starters. The Saints loss to the Cowboys helps that situation, and they have a much tougher schedule remaining. This includes the Bucs, who gave them their first loss of the season, the Steelers, and the Panthers twice.
The Playoffs and Beyond
Is this Super Bowl or bust? The fans seem to think so. In a recent poll I took, 75% of fans will be disappointed if the Rams don’t win it all, and 37% said they’d rather see a Super Bowl win the winning the lottery. This is when the lottery is up to 190 million, too. If your fandom level reaches that deep, you have good reason to be hopeful.
If the Rams keep up their momentum through the rest of the regular season, things could be looking quite good for them heading into the playoffs. With a win over the Lions in week 13, a Seahawks loss or a tie along with a Seahawks tie, Los Angeles will clinch the NFC West title. Even if the Rams tie the Lions, they could still clinch a playoff berth if a number of other games go their way.
The Rams have shown that they’re a dominant team this season. They could very well not see their next loss until the playoffs, or they might not lose at all and take home the title of Super Bowl LIII champs.