LA Rams standings: Updated NFC playoff picture before Week 18 vs. Cardinals

LA Rams standings: Updated NFC playoff picture before Week 18 vs. Cardinals
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We’re heading into the final week of the 2025 NFL season, and the Rams won’t know where they stand for the postseason until we get to the other side of it.

As of right now, the Rams are slotted in at the No. 6 Wild Card spot, but things could shift depending on how Saturday’s game shake out. If the Panthers beat the Buccaneers and clinch the NFC South, and if the Seahawks beat the 49ers to lock up the top seed in the NFC and the top NFC West spot, it’ll bump the Rams up to the No. 5 Wild Card and they’ll face the Panthers. This can also happen if the Rams beat the Cardinals (doable), plus the Panthers and Falcons both win this week. In that scenario, Carolina wins the NFC South and the Rams will face the Panthers in the Wild Card round.

If the Rams lose and the 49ers win, the Rams will stay in the sixth seed. In that case, they’ll play either the Eagles or the Bears to kick off the postseason, and I think it goes without saying that the 5-seed is the better option here.

Here are the updated standings before Saturday’s games kick off in Week 18.

NFC West standings

  1. Seattle Seahawks 13-3
  2. San Francisco 49ers 12-4
  3. Los Angeles Rams 11-5
  4. Arizona Cardinals 3-13

Updated NFC playoff picture

1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3) – Clinched playoff spot
2. Chicago Bears (11-5) – Clinched NFC North
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) – Clinched NFC East
4. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-4) – Clinched playoff spot
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5) – Clinched playoff spot
7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) – Clinched playoff spot
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)