A combination of their Thursday Night Football loss to the Seahawks and the 49ers' Monday Night Football road win over the Colts in Week 16 slid the Rams from the No. 1 seed to the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Overall, five NFC teams – including Los Angeles – have clinched a playoff berth so far.
Here's what that full NFC playoff picture looks like and how various Week 17 matchups – including the Rams' against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday Night Football – will impact the playoff picture.
No. 1 seed - Seattle Seahawks (clinched playoff berth)
Seattle (12-3) gained control of the top spot in the conference, and clinched a playoff spot, with their win over Los Angeles last week.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West division title and the conference's No. 1 seed in Week 17 with a win, a Rams loss or tie, and a 49ers tie with the Bears.
The Seahawks can just clinch the NFC West with:
- A win, a Rams loss or tie, and a 49ers loss or tie, OR
- A tie, a Rams loss and a 49ers loss
No. 2 seed - Chicago Bears (clinched playoff berth)
The 11-4 Bears kept possession of the No. 2 seed for another week after their wild 22-16 overtime win over the Packers last Saturday night made possible by an improbable 46-yard, game-winning touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to D.J. Moore.
Chicago can clinch the NFC North division title with a win, or a Packers loss, or a tie and a Packers tie.
No. 3 seed - Philadelphia Eagles (clinched division, and by extension playoff berth)
10-5 Philadelphia's 29-18 win over Washington punched its ticket to the playoffs as the NFC East division winner.
No. 4 seed - Carolina Panthers
The Panthers (8-7) went from being on the outside looking in to the No. 4 seed thanks to their 23-20 home win over the Buccaneers last Sunday, displacing Tampa Bay from this same spot.
Carolina can clinch the NFC South division title this week with a win and a Tampa Bay loss or tie, or a tie and a Tampa Bay loss.
No. 5 seed – San Francisco 49ers (clinched playoff berth)
As noted above, San Francisco's Monday Night Football win over Indianapolis (making them 11-4) clinched a playoff berth.
No. 6 seed – Los Angeles Rams (clinched playoff berth)
Since Los Angeles and San Francisco share the same overall record and the two teams split the two head-to-head meetings this season, the next tiebreaker that kicked in was the division record – San Francisco's is 4-1 while L.A.'s is 3-2.
No. 7 seed - Green Bay Packers
Green Bay (9-5-1) remained the No. 7 seed for another week following its overtime loss to Chicago. It can clinch a playoff berth this week with a win or tie, or a Lions loss or tie.
Key Week 17 matchups
Between division title and playoff berth-clinching scenarios, plenty is at stake across the NFC in Week 17.
Other games to watch besides Rams-Falcons this week:
- Ravens at Packers (5 p.m. PT Saturday, Peacock): Green Bay's result has ramifications for not only its playoff hopes, but Chicago's seeding as well.
- Seahawks at Panthers (10 a.m. PT Sunday, CBS): Carolina needs a win and a Tampa Bay loss or tie (or a tie and a Tampa Bay loss) to clinch the NFC South, and by extension, a playoff berth. A Panthers victory also helps L.A.'s chances of reclaiming a top-three seed.
- Buccaneers at Dolphins (10 a.m. PT Sunday, FOX): Besides the aforementioned clinch scenario for the Panthers, the Bucs need a win to get back into the playoff picture.
- Bears at 49ers (5:20 p.m. PT Sunday, NBC): Chicago can win its division with a victory over San Francisco. A Bears win would also help the Rams move ahead of the 49ers in the conference standings, provided the Rams take care of business themselves in prime time Monday night.
