Rams Take Back the Lead in NFC West, See Odds to Win Division Improve to -145
- The Rams decisive win over the Cardinals has put them at -145 to win the NFC West
- Seattle’s upset loss at home to the New York Giants has dropped them to +120
- See the rest of the updated NFC West odds below
Things took a sudden turn late Sunday afternoon, impacting the NFC West odds with four weeks left in this competitive division.
It started in Glendale, where the Los Angeles Rams took out division rival Arizona 38-28.
The victory for Los Angeles ties the Rams with the Seattle Seahawks at 8-4 in the division. Seattle was the victim of an upset in their home stadium, as they fell to the New York Giants by a score of 18-12.
Seattle entered play Sunday as solid double-digit favorites at -10.5. But New York’s rushing attack racked up 190 yards in the upset win.
NFC West Odds
| Team | Odds to Win NFC West |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | -145 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +120 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +4500 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +7000 |
Odds taken Dec 6 at Fanduel
The Cardinals setback to the Rams puts them at 6-6 on the season, while the San Francisco 49ers will host the Buffalo Bills Monday night as they look to get to .500 sitting currently at 5-6.
Checking out the NFC West odds you can see it’s been an up and down season. Since San Fran fell off, the Seahawks and Rams have been the two favorites since.
A Week 16 Showdown in Seattle
With the Rams and Seahawks both sitting at 8-4, the two teams will play in Seattle on December 27th. That game will likely decide the division winner.
Pick Six!
For the 2nd consecutive week, DB Troy Hill scores a defensive TD!
#RamsHouse #abc7eyewitness #NFL pic.twitter.com/fzG9zMroNn— Curt Sandoval (@abc7curt) December 7, 2020
Los Angeles defeated the Seahawks back on November 15th at home by a score of 23-16. Right now both teams are 2-2 in divisional play, so it’s safe to say the winner of that game in three weeks will be crowned the division champs.
Prior to Sunday’s games, the Seahawks were the favorites to win the division just last week at -240. The Rams were sitting at +210, while the Cardinals were +1700 and the 49ers odds sat at +8500.
How the Rams and Hawks Schedules Compare
Los Angeles’ schedule is not easy over the last four games. They will start off with a game at home Thursday night against the New England Patriots, who are coming off a dominant 45-0 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
After that the Rams will play in New York against the winless Jets, before they play the Seahawks in their divisional showdown. They’ll end the season with a game on January 3rd at home against Kyler Murray and Arizona.
Pretty impressive. https://t.co/L1oc3GMJIX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2020
The slate for the Seahawks will see them host the Jets in Week 14, then head to Washington in Week 15 to play the Washington Football Team.
The week 16 battle with the Rams will then be followed by a Week 17 matchup with the 49ers, who might be also playing for a postseason birth depending on how they play in their final few games.
Who Do You Trust?
The Seahawks are a team that needs to right the ship, and fast. The club started the 2020 season as maybe the hottest in the NFC at 5-0, but since then have gone just 3-4. That includes an overtime loss to the Cardinals, dropping one on the road in Buffalo and now a loss to the Giants.
Seattle still has one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Russell Wilson, but their defense has been their downfall all season. Coming into Sunday, they ranked dead last in the league allowing 418.1 yards per game.
If they are going to get back on track, they have to get things turned around quickly, or they could be on the outside looking in at the NFL postseason.
FINAL: The @RamsNFL are back on top of the NFC West! #LARvsAZ #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/1marCy0gwP
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2020
The Rams have had their own ups and downs, starting 4-1 and then going 3-3 before Sunday’s win over the Cardinals to push their mark to 8-4.
Los Angeles ranks 6th in total yards, while they have been stingy all season long on defense, allowing 296.7 yards per game.
No matter how you break it down, the Rams seem to have the edge with four weeks left. The odds say it, as does the way the teams have played over the last month.
The smart money should go on the Rams, they’ve been more consistent in every way for all of 2020, and Sunday’s win in Arizona may have just clinched their path to a NFC West divisional title.
The Pick: LA Rams (-145)
Matt Loede has been a part of the Cleveland Sports landscape working in the media since 1994 when he graduated from broadcasting school. He has extensive experience in covering MLB, NBA, NFL, and college events. He's written three books, and won the "2020 AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award."
