How The Rams Went From 1-4 To Division Leaders

The Los Angeles Rams have officially won the NFC West with a 10-6 record, but the team's journey to division leaders started pretty rocky.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) celebrates after sacking Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

A necessary win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 and some help from other NFL matches going the right way was fundamental in the Los Angeles Rams’ clinching the NFC West and a firm spot in the upcoming playoffs.

However, looking at the beginning of the season, the Rams’ performances were not ones that qualified them as playoff potentials. In fact, if you go back to the end of Week 5, the team was just 1-4, a rough start to the season.

When the team came back after their Week 6 break — a bye week for the team — everything changed. Their Oct. 20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders marked the Rams’ second win in seven weeks, and then the rest of the team's wins began to trickle in.

Fast forward to Week 17, the Rams have currently won nine out of 11 of their games since Week 6 and are on a five-week win streak, a total turnaround given their first five games. 

“I think this is a mentally tough team … a resilient team. Really, when we talked about coming off the bye when we were 1-4, finding ways to finish games. Now, it hasn’t gone exactly the way we want, but we’ve been able to finish it in the positive column nine out of 11 opportunities that we’ve had,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay.

The Rams have indeed shown their ability to win in different ways and they have also shown their chemistry with one another. They have shown immense depth in their roster with the plays made by many different players, from rookies to veterans. 

And most importantly, they have shown that they do have what it takes to be a competitive playoff team.

I think we’re doing a nice job as a team playing together. Certain games look one way or the other, but we’re finding ways to win football games. I still think, especially on our side of the ball, there’s more out there for us,” said Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

They still have one regular season matchup of the year against the Seattle Seahawks, a match that will not have too much impact on the team’s future because they have already clinched a playoff berth.

The team definitely will have some things to hone in on before they go against the other teams in the playoffs; however, one thing that the Rams’ trajectory in just 12 weeks has shown many is that they have the ability to adapt and grow.

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