How Strength of Victory Affects the Rams in Week 17

The path to a playoff berth has become considerably harder for the Los Angeles Rams going into Week 17, and now, the Rams will need some help.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens (26) celebrates following an interception against Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7, background second from right) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

“Strength of victory” is the phrase coming off the lips of NFL experts everywhere when regarding the current situation with NFC West.

According to Rams’ senior staff writer Stu Johnson, a strength of victory is “the combined record of all opponents a team has beaten, and serves as the fifth step in NFL tie breaking procedures between two teams.”

The Los Angeles Rams (9-6) currently hold the No. 1 spot in the NFC West and the No. 3 spot in the entire NFC; however, going into Week 17, the Rams still haven’t clinched a playoff berth and the Seattle Seahawks’ 6-3 win over the Chicago Bears have made a clinch considerably harder.

Because of the Seahawks’ triumph, it is now extremely important for the Rams to secure a win over the Cardinals this Saturday night. But the team will need some help from the rest of the matchups happening during Week 17.

The nine wins in the Rams’ record comes from the San Francisco 49ers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots, the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets.

Three out of these eight teams are on the line for helping or hurting the Rams’ chances in their games — the Vikings are going against the Green Bay Packers, the Bills are going against the Jets and the 49ers are going against the Detroit Lions.

In addition to these three games, the Rams are also relying on some AFC teams to help — the Cincinnati Bengals against the Denver Broncos, the Washington Commanders against the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns against the Miami Dolphins.

As the Seattle Seahawks have already played, in order for the Rams to clinch the NFC West and a playoff berth, four out of the six teams — the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Bengals, Commanders and Browns — need to win.

The Seahawks have amassed wins over the Broncos, Falcons and Dolphins, and thus, if those teams suffer losses, the Seahawks' strength of victory drops.

According to CBS Sports, “Not only are all six teams playing at home, but three of them -- Bills, Bengals and Commanders -- are favored to win. The Browns and 49ers are both underdogs while the Packers-Vikings game has flipped a couple of times this week when it comes to who's favored.”

The road to a playoff berth has become astoundingly complicated for the Rams; however, all eyes will be on them heading into their matchup against the Cardinals this weekend.

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