How the Rams clinched the NFC West division title in Week 17

Game update (Sunday night): With the Commanders’ overtime win over the Falcons, the Rams have clinched the fifth tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks, and therefore clinched the NFC West. Los Angeles needed a win over the Cardinals and then 3.5 wins from a group of teams to clinch the division, and they got everything they needed in Week 17.

Game update: More help continues to come in for the Rams.

Minnesota’s 27-25 win over the Packers has given Los Angeles another win they need to clinch the NFC West due to the fifth tiebreaker (strength of victory) over the Seattle Seahawks.

Now the Rams just need 0.5 wins from the 49ers or the Commanders to clinch the NFC West. Ties count as a half-win, which would mean the Rams could even clinch if one of those games (Washington against Atlanta on Sunday night, or San Francisco against Detroit on Monday night) ends in a tie.

Game update (Sunday afternoon): The Rams continue to get the help they need to clinch a playoff spot in Week 17. The Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Denver Broncos gives the Rams one of the 3.5 wins they need from other teams to clinch the fifth tiebreaker (strength of victory) over the Seattle Seahawks. With the Buffalo Bills defeating the New York Jets, the Rams now just need 1.5 wins from the following teams: Minnesota, San Francisco, Washington, and Cleveland to clinch a playoff spot.

Game update: The Rams won on Saturday, meaning at worst they will be playing for the NFC West title in Week 18. At best, they could clinch the division crown with some help on Sunday.

Saturday’s NFL tripleheader draws to a close with an NFC West showdown between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams.

And the division title could be clinched in that game.

While the Cardinals have already been eliminated from the playoffs, the Rams are on the doorstep of clinching the NFC West. However, a win over Arizona alone will not be enough for the Rams to lock up the division title.

But they can still clinch the division in Week 17. Here is how.

The Rams had three theoretical ways they can clinch the NFC West in Week 17, but two of those relied on Seattle Seahawks losing to the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. But Seattle’s 6-3 win rendered those pathways to the playoffs moot.

The third, well, is much more complicated, but still in play even with Seattle’s win.

If the Rams lose on Saturday night, the NFC West comes down to the season finale between Los Angeles and Seattle.

But if the Rams win in Week 17, Week 18 is not a “winner-take-all” game between the two teams, even with Seattle’s win on Thursday night. The Seahawks’ site outlined the reasons why ahead of Week 17. “If both the Rams and Seahawks win this week, however, it’s not as simple, because in that scenario, a Seahawks Week 18 win would leave both teams with the same record, a head-to-head split, the same NFC West record, the same record in common games, and the same conference record.”

The fifth tiebreaker would then come into play, which is strength of victory:

The fifth tiebreaker after all of that is strength of victory, and heading into Week 17, the Rams have the edge there, thanks largely to the fact that they have wins over the Bills and Vikings.

And thanks to that strength of victory lead, the Rams could clinch this week with a win even if the Seahawks also win, doing so if they get 3.5 or more wins from the Vikings (vs. Packers), Bills (vs. Jets), 49ers (vs. Lions), Commanders (vs. Falcons), Bengals (vs. Broncos) and Browns (vs. Dolphins).

This means that a Rams win over Arizona on Saturday night, and four wins from this collections of teams — Minnesota, Buffalo, San Francisco, Washington, Cincinnati, and Cleveland — would clinch the NFC West for Los Angeles, as they would now have that strength of victory advantage. It is worth noting that a tie game counts as a half-win, so three wins plus a tie is also a possibility.

So, yeah.

1. x-Detroit Lions (13-2, win over MIN, 9-1 NFC)
2. x-Philadelphia Eagles (12-3)
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6, win over SEA, 5-5 NFC)
4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7, wins over TB)

5. x-Minnesota Vikings (13-2, loss to DET)
6. x-Green Bay Packers (11-4)
7. Washington Commanders (10-5)

9. Seattle Seahawks (8-7, 5-6 NFC)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7, losses to ATL, 6-4 NFC)
10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8, 5-5 NFC) — eliminated
11. Arizona Cardinals (7-8, 3-6 NFC) — eliminated
12. San Francisco 49ers (6-9, win over DAL) — eliminated
13. New Orleans Saints (5-10) — eliminated
14. Carolina Panthers (4-11, loss to CHI) — eliminated
15. Chicago Bears (5-11, win over CAR) — eliminated
16. New York Giants (2-13) — eliminated

Teams with an x have clinched a playoff berth.