Why the Rams Will Continue To Dominate the NFC

They dismantled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and in doing so, took down a division leader in the NFC. The Rams have only lost twice this season, and one of those losses was against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are also division leaders. If the Rams wanted to remain the number one seed in the NFC and maintain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Eagles had to lose, as they held the tiebreaker over them due to their Week 3 loss.

Thankfully, the Rams' wishes were granted as the Eagles lost to the Chicago Bears and were stripped of the second seed in the NFC. This is massive for the Rams, as a win over the Carolina Panthers gives them a much-needed cushion over the defending Super Bowl champions.

The bad news for the Rams is that the Bears have swapped places with the Eagles and are on a win streak of their own. Ben Johnson has this team looking right, and while these two teams haven't played since last season, their meeting in the playoffs would be an interesting battle between creative offenses and stifling defenses.

However, the Rams would much rather see the Bears than the Eagles, as they always seem to have their number in the playoffs and regular season. The last time the Rams beat the Eagles was in 2020, as they continuously get the best of Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense.

Which Team Poses the Biggest Threat?

The bottom line is that the Bears' greatest strength is their run game, and the Rams have the defense capable of shutting it down. That leaves the victory in Caleb Williams' hands, and while he's shown flashes, he's still far away from being a quarterback that can compete with Stafford and come out on top.

As this NFL season winds down, the Rams have to ask themselves which of the remaining teams left in playoff contention pose a tangible threat to their throne at the top of the NFC? The Eagles would've been the answer had they not lost on Black Friday, and though the Bears are the two-seed, they don't look like a team the Rams should be afraid of. The answer to that question lies under their noses, in their own division.

Familiar Foes

Their biggest competition for the conference and division is the Seattle Seahawks. They may have beaten them in Week 11 , but it was far from a perfect victory. Despite their defense picking off Sam Darnold four times, the Seahawks still had a chance to win the game at the last second with a field goal as time expired.

They ended up missing, but the Seahawks showed enough to warrant the Rams being worried about them. Their Week 16 matchup is an opportunity for them to calm their nerves, but if they split the divisional series, the Rams are in jeopardy of falling from the one seed all the way to the fifth seed.

Despite the San Francisco 49ers currently being the seventh seed in the standings, they should also be a team the Rams look out for. Brock Purdy is back after being sidelined for the majority of the season, and under him, their record is 3 - 1.

The Rams have already split the divisional series with the 49ers, and if they run the table for the rest of the season, they pose a real threat to dethrone the Rams from atop the NFC, as well as eliminate them from the playoffs outright. The two biggest threats to the Rams' chokehold over the NFC are in their own division, and their rematch against the Seahawks and two contests against the Arizona Cardinals will hold massive significance for them moving forward.