Rams on cusp of playoff berth after victory over Cardinals - ESPN

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With a 13-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Rams brought themselves to the cusp of clinching a playoff spot and winning the NFC West.

The Rams entered the day needing a victory against the Cardinals and 3.5 or more wins by any of the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Bengals and Browns to clinch the strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks. Los Angeles got help earlier Saturday, as the Bengals beat the Broncos for one of those wins.

Los Angeles (10-6) hosts second-place Seattle during Week 18 in what could be a meaningless game if the Rams clinch the tiebreaker by the end of this weekend.

The Rams are currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC, 1.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Falcons entering the Sunday slate.

Here are the most important things to know from Saturday night for both teams:

Describe the game in two words: Scoring struggles. In the three games since scoring a season-high 44 points against the Bills in Week 14, the Rams have failed to break the 20-point mark. But the Rams have won all three of those games, including Saturday's.

Prediction for next week: If the Rams clinch a playoff berth this weekend, their key starters will not play in Week 18, even if the No. 3 seed is up for grabs. And there's precedent. A year ago, the Rams started backup quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 18 with playoff seeding in play.

Troubling trend: Slow starts remain an issue for the Rams' offense, which has now gone 13 games without scoring a touchdown in the first quarter this season. Los Angeles has also gone 11 games without scoring at all in the first quarter, the second-worst mark in the NFL, according to ESPN Research. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: vs. Seahawks (Sunday, Jan.