The LA Rams (8-6) have the best of both worlds going for them in Week 15. By winning two consecutive games in five days, the team has catapulted from a 6-6 record to 8-6, a far more favorable spot to be in with only three games remaining on the schedule. But by winning on Thursday Night Football, the Rams have 10 days to rest up before flying across the country to the Big Apple to face the New York Jets (3-10) in hopes of continuing a three-game winning streak and push for the 2025 NFL Playoffs.
But it's Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. Games of other NFL teams begin to play larger roles for the final 2025 NFL Playoffs picture.
It's that time of year that NFL fans across the nation begin to cheer for other teams. And those 'enemy of my enemy is my friend,' creates odd and suspicious alliances. For instance, fans of the Seattle Seahawks unabashedly rooted for the San Francisco 49ers (6-8) on Thursday Night Football, because a 49ers victory was far better for their won postseason aspirations than a win the by the Rams.
So, if only temporarily, former foes and rivals become allies as the NFL Playoffs and NFC seeding for those playoff slots hang in the balance. So which games most aptly impact the chances for the LA Rams, and how? And for that matter, which teams should the Rams cheer for in Week 15 of the games remaining on the schedule? Thanks to the ESPN Playoff Machine, we have the answer:
If you need to get your football fix, here are five games that hold particular interest for LA Rams fans:
(5) New York Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10)
While the New York Jets at the Jacksonville Jaguars does not hold any direct implications for the Rams playoff hopes directly, the Jets are the upcoming opponent for Week 16. So if nothing else, putting this game on your radar affords you and opportunity to scout the next team standing in the way of the Rams.
It's tough to imagine that the Jets were considered an AFC favorite for the playoffs at the start of 2024. And they looked the part, winning two of their first three games. But the Jets are 1-9 in their last 10 games and are absolutely facing a complete rebuild at the end of this season. NFL rumors have already reported that the team is lining up GM candidates.
The thing is, teams with nothing to lose can be very dangerous opponents right now.
And so, I not only want to see how hard the Jets play, and who their playmakers are, but I am rooting for the Jets. Any team on an extended losing streak plays all the harder to break the downward spiral. The Jets have nothing to play for right now, but pride.
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the most likely winners of the NFC South Division, leading the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) by a game. But if the Buccaneers win out, they will claim a better seed in the upcoming NFL Playoffs than the Rams. You see, the Buccaneers and the Rams would end the season in a tie, but the Buccaneers would hold the tie-breaker over the Rams and claim the third seed.
While that is only a factor if the Rams and Buccaneers face off in the NFL Playoffs, it does create scenarios where the Rams will face the more successful opponents. Cheer for the Chargers in this one.
(3) Washington Commanders (8-5) at New Orleans Saints (5-8)
It's ridiculous to fathom that the Rams could be competing with the Washington Commanders for the seventh and final playoff berth in the NFC, but that is where we find ourselves now. And even if the Rams and Commanders end the season with tied records, the Commanders hold the upper hand with tiebreakers.
That means that its not too early to cheer for the Commanders opponents, who are the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. The Rams had beaten the Saints earlier in the season, so a win by the Saints this week not only tags the Commanders with a loss, but it turns the tiebreakers less towards the Commanders based on the record against common opponents.
(2) New England Patriots (3-10) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7)
Until the Rams face, and defeat, the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Rams for the NFC West Division title and for any Wild Card scenarios. Of course, tiebreakers only kick in when two or more teams end the season in a tie. So the trick is, not to end the season in a tie.
The Rams control their own destiny right now. That simply means that as long as the team wins all of the remaining games on the schedule, they will win the NFC West Division and compete in the upcoming playoffs. But there is nothing wrong with a bit of a buffer. After all, they are the same Arizona Cardinals that dominated the Rams in Week 2, winning by the lopsided score of 41-10.
So it only makes sense to cheer for the Patriots here. I don't fear the Cardinals. I simply don't want to tempt fate.
(1) Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (8-5)
Okay, I saved the Packers at the Seahawks game for last, because this is truly a game in which there are benefits for the LA Rams no matter how the game plays out. For an immediate gratification, cheering for the Packers does create the scenario in which the Seattle Seahawks fall to a record of 8-6. With the team having already defeated the Seahawks earlier in the season, the Rams would take an interim lead in the division. But the Rams hosting the Seahawks in Week 18 could still be a factor.
But the Packers travel to Seattle in this one. The Packers play four more games. If they spiral and lose four games, they could be vulnerable to an NFC West team regarding a Wild Card slot. But the Packers loss impacts the NFC West seeding as well. The Rams have to view a Packers loss as not as terrible as it might appear initially.
Of course, if the Rams win against the Jets, and the Seahawks lose to the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, the Rams have the opportunity to rest players in Week 18 before hosting a playoff game. That could be a factor. I would love to see a Week 18 option to rest players.
There is plenty of football to play in Week 15. The Rams have already recorded a victory, so there it's simply a matter of how the remaining games might impact the various playoff scenarios.
