NFC playoff picture: Rams remain 5th but inch closer to Cardinals in NFC West

[theramswire.usatoday.com] NFC playoff picture: Rams remain 5th but inch closer to Cardinals in NFC West


Skyler Carlin
December 14, 2021 9:32 am PT

What a week it was for the Los Angeles Rams again, being able to defeat the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 14. With the win over the Cardinals, the Rams comfortably remain the No. 5 seed, but they have thinned the gap between them and Arizona in the NFC West.

Los Angeles is now just one game back from its division rivals for the top spot in the NFC West. Each team has four more games to earn the lead in the division, with the Rams having two NFC West games remaining, while the Cardinals have just one.


Following another positive week from Los Angeles, here is how the NFC playoff picture looks entering Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season.

NFC standings
Packers (10-3)
Buccaneers (10-3)
Cardinals (10-3)
Cowboys (9-4)
Rams (9-4)
49ers (7-6)
Washington (6-7)
Vikings (6-7)
Eagles (6-7)
Falcons (6-7)
Saints (6-7)
Panthers (5-8)
With the Rams beating the Cardinals on Monday night, the Green Bay Packers have now elevated to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now the No. 2 seed. Arizona fell all the way from the first seed in the conference to the third seed with their latest loss.

Los Angeles remains at No. 5 in the NFC, a spot it has held for quite some time. The Dallas Cowboys also have a stranglehold of the fourth seed, while the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Football Team swapped spots this week with the 49ers winning four of their last five games.

Despite having a comfortable two-game cushion at the fifth seed, the Rams now have a chance to secure the NFC West if they win out and the Cardinals lose at least once. Who would each team be playing in the first round of the playoffs in the new-ish playoff format?


Playoff matchups if the season ended today
1. Packers: first-round bye

2. Buccaneers vs. 7. Washington

3. Cardinals vs. 6. 49ers

4. Cowboys vs. 5. Rams

In the new playoff format that began last season, the Packers would have a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Seeing that playing in Lambeau Field is not ideal at this time of year, that could be beneficial for Green Bay.

We would have a rematch of last year’s wild-card game with the Buccaneers and Washington squaring off. The Cardinals and the 49ers would face off in a divisional battle in the postseason, which would be quite an interesting matchup.

And as we’ve seen for plenty of weeks at this point, the Rams would face the Cowboys in Dallas in the first round. These matchups could be subject to change if certain things happen in the upcoming weeks.