Rams dominance over the NFC West has been key to their latest success

The Los Angeles Rams have been dominate in opposition to the NFC West the previous two seasons, a big issue of their profitable turnaround not simply this yr, however final season as nicely. Since 2023, LA is 9-2 enjoying in opposition to their division, which is tied for the league’s greatest divisional report the over that very same time span.

Los Angeles is driving a five-game successful streak in the intervening time, with divisional wins making up 40% of the Rams victory complete this season. 50% of LA’s victory complete final season additionally got here from wins over the NFC West.

After years of struggles vs. the Kyle Shanahan coached 49ers, the Rams have develop into a thorn within the aspect of many San Francisco followers. The crew has had their Northern counterpart’s quantity as of late, and are at the moment sporting a three-game successful streak over the Niners that goes again to 2023. LA’s newest win over SF was a 12-6 defensive battle in unhealthy climate simply two weeks in the past. It was a sport the place the Los Angeles entrance seven disrupted the San Francisco offense all evening, sacking QB Brock Purdy 3 times.

Picture by Ezra Shaw/Getty Photographs

The Rams have additionally been in management relating to the Seattle Seahawks, and much more so the Arizona Cardinals, since head coach Sean McVay’s arrival eight years in the past. Since 2017, Los Angeles has gone 25-8 in opposition to their two different NFC West rivals; They’re 14-3 vs. Arizona and 11-5 vs. Seattle in that timeframe. Particularly talking to the NFC West success the final two years, LA holds a 6-1 complete report in opposition to Arizona and Seattle mixed, with yet one more matchup in opposition to the Seahawks left for 2024 in Week 18.

Whereas all of this seems like heaps of reward for the Rams, and admittedly a few of it most likely is after driving the excessive of basically clinching the NFC West championship Saturday evening, there may be nonetheless a major underlying message and that’s that it’s arduous to have profitable NFL seasons yr in and yr out with out taking good care of enterprise in your personal division first. Los Angeles can be nowhere close to the NFL playoffs the final two seasons if not for his or her command over the west.

The 1-4 Rams fought by way of adversity and stayed resilient to earn themselves one other profitable double-digit win season. It’ll additionally go down as McVay’s seventh successful season out of his eight years because the Rams head coach. Whereas the Rams technically nonetheless want a couple of video games to go their technique to clinch the division this Sunday, in accordance the Athletic projection mannequin there may be over a 99% probability that this common season will finish with McVay’s sixth playoff look and the crew’s fourth NFC West title underneath him.