The Rams' path to clinching the NFC West and a playoff berth in Week 17 became slightly more complicated with the Seahawks' 6-3 Thursday Night Football win over the Bears.
Essentially, Los Angeles needs a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, and some help with wins from 4 of 6 other teams playing this weekend in order to clinch via winning the Strength of Victory tiebreaker over Seattle.
What clinching scenarios remain in play for the Rams in Week 17?
The Rams need a win over the Cardinals on Saturday, and also need to win the Strength of Victory tiebreaker over the Seahawks via 4 wins from any of these teams this week: Bengals, Commanders, Bills, 49ers, Vikings and Browns.
Each of those six teams are at home this weekend.
What is Strength of Victory?
Strength of Victory is the combined record of all opponents a team has beaten, and serves as the fifth step in NFL tiebreaking procedures between two teams. Because the records of those defeated opponents can change over the course of the season, so too can a team's Strength of Victory.
The Rams' is currently .449 with 61 wins:
- 49ers (6-9)
- Raiders (3-12)
- Vikings (13-2)
- Seahawks (9-7)
- Patriots (3-12)
- Saints (5-10)
- Bills (12-3)
- 49ers (6-9)
- Jets (4-11)
So, 61 wins out of 136 total games played by those teams beaten = .449. The Seahawks' ninth win tonight counted toward that.
The Seahawks' is currently .404 with 55 wins:
- Broncos (9-6)
- Patriots (3-12)
- Dolphins (7-8)
- Falcons (8-7)
- 49ers (6-9)
- Cardinals (7-8)
- Jets (4-11)
- Cardinals (7-8)
- Bears (4-12)
So, 55 wins out of 136 total games played by those teams beaten = .404.
Why do the Bengals, Commanders, Bills, 49ers, Vikings and Browns' games matter to the Rams and the Strength of Victory tiebreaker?
In short, the Rams need more of the teams they've defeated and the Seahawks haven't to win, or the teams the Seahawks have defeated and the Rams haven't to lose.
Mapped out further:
The Bengals face the Broncos (1:30 p.m. PT Saturday, NFL Network). A Bengals win prevents a Broncos win from being added to, and therefore improving, the Seahawks' Strength of Victory.
The Commanders face the Falcons (5:20 p.m. PT Sunday, NBC). A Commanders win prevents a Falcons win from being added to the Seahawks' Strength of Victory.
The Bills face the Jets (10 a.m. PT Sunday, CBS). A Bills win prevents a Jets win from being added to the Rams' and the Seahawks' Strength of Victory, which is still a positive outcome for the Rams.
The 49ers face the Lions (5:15 p.m. PT Monday, ESPN). Similar to Bills-Jets, a 49ers win prevent effectively cancels out the effect it would have on the Rams and the Seahawks' Strength of Victory, which is still a positive outcome for the Rams.
The Vikings face the Packers (1:25 p.m. PT Sunday, FOX). A Vikings win helps boost the Rams' Strength of Victory.
The Browns face the Dolphins (1:05 p.m. PT Sunday, CBS). A Browns win prevents a Dolphins win from being added to the Seahawks' Strength of Victory.
For a visual representation, Deniz Selman posted this helpful color-coded guide on X this week for a more digestible view of necessary outcomes for that tiebreaker for each team:
