Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) takes a video with social programing manager Patty Vicente after their win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How the Rams Won Their Bye Week

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It's hard to think about a team winning in their bye week, but if there were any team to benefit the most from a week 8 bye, it might've been the Los Angeles Rams . Their early-season bye not only gave them a chance to recuperate after Puka Nacua was injured, but they also came out of their bye week with the landscape of the NFC West looking radically different.

Every other team in their division was on their bye week, except for the San Francisco 49ers. They played the Houston Texans and handed them their most convincing win of the season, dropping to 5 - 3 and giving up the lead they had over the Seattle Seahawks as well as the Rams.

Two-Man Race

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers have the easiest schedule in the NFL, so for them to lose so badly against the Texans is great for the Rams' chances of becoming back-to-back NFC West champions. It also goes to show how flukey the 49ers' win over the Rams was in week 5, as the Rams took care of business against the Texans in their season opener.

The Arizona Cardinals are out of the running for the division, but that doesn't mean they can't make things interesting down the stretch of the season. This means that at the moment, the division is up for the taking, and it's between the Seahawks and the Rams to see who holds on to the lead as they're tied for first place after the 49ers' loss.

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The difference between the Seahawks and Rams week 9 opponents is staggering. While the Rams will play at home against the 1 - 7 New Orleans Saints, the Seahawks will have to travel to face the Washington Commanders on the road.

The Commanders are a much scarier team if Jayden Daniels is playing, which can make things interesting for the Seahawks if he's back in the lineup to face them. Meanwhile, the Saints are 0 - 3 against every other team in the NFC West, so there should be no reason why the Rams don't dominate them.

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What will be most important for this team moving forward will be how soon Nacua can get back to full strength. He and Matthew Stafford were on a historic pace before he was injured, and if he's back sooner rather than later, they can get a chokehold on the division and hold on for the remainder of the season.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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