Here's how tough it is to divine the NFC West playoff picture: The St. Louis Rams lost 31-13 yesterday, and that was good news for their playoff chances. Sometimes it's easier to pick the best of a good lot and than the best of a bad one, but considering the Rams were playing the New Orleans Saints on the road and the Seattle Seahawks were drubbed 40-24 by the San Francisco 49ers, things are not so bad for the NFC West's first-place Rams. Even though by all accounts they ought to be, at this point.
↵Week 15 is the Rams' best chance to separate themselves ahead of their Week 17 showdown with the Seahawks; the Seahawks get the Atlanta Falcons, while the Rams have a grudge match with the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams would likely be in first place in the NFC West, but the Falcons are definitely the better team. Pulling ahead of Seattle would be a huge moment in a rapidly expanding collection of huge 2010 moments.
↵More than that, it would be proof that the Rams belong in a playoff conversation, even if they only belong that way in a division that really doesn't.