Los Angeles Rams still face uphill battle to return to playoffs

The Los Angeles Rams picked up a win over the Bears on Sunday night but their playoff chances are still in doubt, facing a deficit difficult to overcome.

In a game where the Los Angeles Rams were without both Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods going up against the vaunted Chicago Bears defense on Sunday night, the Rams showed a lot of positive signs. No, Jared Goff and the Sean McVay-run offense weren’t looking like the juggernaut of old. However, the team as a whole looked much more like a playoff-caliber group than in weeks past.

Riding a near-100-yard rushing effort from Todd Gurley and a strong defensive outing that saw Jalen Ramsey shine and Aaron Donald register two sacks, the Rams were able to get to 6-4 on the season with a 17-7 home victory over the Bears, avenging one of their few regular-season losses from last season.

Though he still looks less explosive than before, Gurley showed positive signs with 97 yards rushing, a touchdown and 36 receiving yards on Sunday night. It was especially impressive given that Goff was only asked to throw 18 times given the limitations of the receiving corps without Cooks and Woods.

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Just as impressive, though, was the defense. Yes, facing the struggling Mitchell Trubisky is a good boost for any defense but Ramsey’s arrival at the trade deadline has certainly sparked this unit. Since acquiring the All-Pro caliber corner, the Rams have given up 10, 17 and seven points in their last three games.

All of this points to the Rams hitting their mark at the right time this season. Again, they are not the unstoppable offensive force that they were as recently as last season. However, this team still has offensive juice and, with the defense playing at an elevated level, they look like a team that could make some noise if they return to the postseason.

Whether or not they return to the playoffs, however, is very much in question. If the season ended today, the Rams would be on the outside looking in of the postseason, the first team out in the NFC. But more than just being out right now, the Rams also have a good deal of ground to make up still.

Los Angeles currently sits 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot in the NFC, which is currently held by the 8-3 Minnesota Vikings. Moreover, they are well out of the divisional race, currently sitting in third in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks (8-2) and San Francisco 49ers (9-1).

For the Rams to make it back to the playoffs to try and return to the Super Bowl, they both need to finish strong and to get a little bit of help from the Vikings. Doing the former would help the latter, of course, as the Rams have matchups with the Seahawks and Niners still left on the schedule.

Having said that, LA’s finishing stretch is downright brutal. They have a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, take on a feisty Arizona Cardinals team in Week 13, then meet the Seahawks before going to Dallas to face the Cowboys. After that, they finish up with a game at San Francisco before ending the year welcoming the Cards.

With the way the Cardinals have played of late, none of those games are gimmes. More importantly, that’s not a schedule that’s conducive to making up ground in the NFC standings.

Maybe the Rams can do it, though. If Ramsey, Donald and the defense play at the level they have lately, it’s going to be difficult for teams to score on them. And maybe Gurley and Goff get on track for the stretch run. But what’s clear is that the Rams’ return to the postseason is not certain at this point. In fact, their current position makes it seem less likely than missing out on the playoffs.