Because of an Ahkello Witherspoon interception ultimately zone with lower than a minute to play, the Los Angeles Rams had been in a position to maintain off the Arizona Cardinals to safe a 13-9 win and transfer one step nearer to the NFC West crown.
It’s the Rams’ fifth win in a row, and it actually got here right down to a matter of inches — and a fluke, fortunate bounce — as Witherspoon was in a position to safe the ball after Cardinals tight finish Trey McBride was unable to haul in what a possible game-winning landing.
It doesn’t get a lot nearer than that.
It’s a enormous win for the Rams as a result of it now places them in wait-and-see mode for Sunday on whether or not or not they will clinch the division this week primarily based on the power of victory tiebreaker.
For that to occur, the Rams want not less than 3.5 wins (not less than three wins and a tie) from the next six groups: Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Payments, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
The Bengals already gained on Saturday, that means that now the Rams solely want two of the opposite 5 groups to win to ensure that them to clinch the division.
The Rams (10-6) maintain a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) within the NFC West race, with the 2 groups taking part in one another in Week 18.
If the Seahawks had been to win that sport, it will depart each groups tied at 10-7 within the total standings. However as a result of each groups can be tied within the head-to-head tiebreaker, in addition to having the identical division and convention information, the division would come right down to the power of victory tiebreaker.
Given a number of the matchups that the Rams are relying on, there’s a excellent risk it could actually get wrapped up this weekend. They’d in all probability desire that so they may probably give a few of their veteran gamers — together with quarterback Matthew Stafford — per week off in what can be a meaningless Week 18 sport going into the playoffs.
For now, they only have to sit down again and watch.
