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The Los Angeles Rams find themselves in a fascinating position as we approach the final stretch of the 2025 NFL regular season. Currently sitting at 11-4 with three games remaining, the Rams have already secured their playoff berth for the third consecutive season under head coach Sean McVay, but their trajectory moving forward presents a compelling dream scenario that could reshape their entire postseason narrative. While the recent overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football shifted the dynamics of the NFC West race, the Rams still possess a legitimate pathway to achieving their ultimate goal: winning the division, securing the top seed, and earning a first-round bye with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The question now isn’t whether Los Angeles will make the postseason—that’s already guaranteed—but rather what position they’ll hold when they arrive. The dream scenario for the Rams involves capturing every remaining piece of their schedule while receiving minimal help from other teams, creating a championship-caliber narrative heading into January. This isn’t an impossibility; it’s a tangible objective that depends entirely on the Rams’ execution and the convergence of several favorable outcomes across the league.
The Rams’ dream scenario begins with reclaiming the NFC West title from the Seattle Seahawks, who currently hold a narrow advantage following their dramatic comeback victory in Week 16. Los Angeles sits at 11-4 while the Seahawks are also 11-4, but Seattle’s head-to-head victory gives them the upper hand in tiebreaker scenarios. However, the Rams possess the ultimate trump card: they control their own destiny in a profound way.
Los Angeles faces the Atlanta Falcons (5-9) in Week 17 on Monday Night Football, followed by a home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals (3-11) in Week 18. Both of these opponents are among the weakest remaining competitors in the entire league, presenting perhaps the most favorable scheduling situation available to any contender down the final stretch. The Rams’ dream scenario requires victories in both contests, which would vault them to a 13-4 finish. Meanwhile, the Seahawks must travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers (9-4) in Week 18, a game that carries significant implications for the entire division.
If the Rams win out and the Seahawks lose to San Francisco—or if divisional mathematics breaks in Los Angeles’s favor—the Rams would reclaim control of the NFC West. This division title wouldn’t merely provide playoff seeding benefits; it would grant the Rams home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason, a monumental advantage that could prove decisive in deep playoff runs.
Beyond the divisional crown, the Rams’ dream scenario involves positioning themselves for the NFC’s top seed. The Seahawks currently occupy the number one spot following their Week 16 upset, but the playoff landscape remains remarkably fluid. The Bears, Eagles, and other contenders are still very much in the conversation, and one or two losses from any of these teams could dramatically alter the hierarchy.
The Athletic’s playoff...
