Thanks to an Ahkello Witherspoon interception in the end zone with less than a minute to play, the Los Angeles Rams were able to hold off the Arizona Cardinals to secure a 13-9 win and move one step closer to the NFC West crown.
It is the Rams’ fifth win in a row, and it literally came down to a matter of inches — and a fluke, lucky bounce — as Witherspoon was able to secure the ball after Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was unable to haul in what looked to be a potential game-winning touchdown.
It does not get much closer than that.
It is a huge win for the Rams because it now puts them in wait-and-see mode for Sunday on whether or not they can clinch the division this week based on the strength of victory tiebreaker.
For that to happen, the Rams need at least 3.5 wins (at least three wins and a tie) from the following six teams: Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
The Bengals already won on Saturday, meaning that now the Rams only need two of the other five teams to win in order for them to clinch the division.
The Rams (10-6) hold a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks (9-7) in the NFC West race, with the two teams playing each other in Week 18.
If the Seahawks were to win that game, it would leave both teams tied at 10-7 in the overall standings. But because both teams would be tied in the head-to-head tiebreaker, as well as having the same division and conference records, the division would come down to the strength of victory tiebreaker.
Given some of the matchups that the Rams are counting on, there is a very good possibility it can get wrapped up this weekend. They would probably prefer that so they could potentially give some of their veteran players — including quarterback Matthew Stafford — a week off in what would be a meaningless Week 18 game going into the playoffs.
For now, they just have to sit back and watch.
