A golden opportunity to punch their ticket to the playoffs slipped through the Rams’ fingertips last week against the Jets. Then on Saturday, the Cardinals were upset by the 49ers, which was another chance for the Rams to clinch a spot in the postseason.

They’ll get a third opportunity on Sunday when they visit the Seahawks, their last opportunity to keep their division title hopes alive. A loss sends the Rams back to L.A. with no chance to win the NFC West, as it’ll be clinched if Seattle wins. But if the Rams pull off the road upset, they’ll take back control in the division with a chance to lock it up in Week 17.

But the biggest question is, can a team that just handed the Jets their first win of the season really bounce back to beat the Seahawks? It seems hard to answer that question with a definitive “yes,” but as the Rams have shown this year, they’re capable of beating (and losing to) any team in the NFL.

With arguably the league’s best defense and an offense that can pound the ball on the ground with a strong committee approach, the Rams have the makings of a championship contender. But so much of their success comes down to taking care of the football and getting quality play out of the quarterback position.

Against the Seahawks, Jared Goff has to step up. With Cam Akers out, the offense has taken a hit. Goff must play much better than he did against the Jets for the Rams to win this game, as he and Sean McVay can’t rely on the ground game to carry the offense.

Considering the Rams have turned it over at least once in every game, it’s almost a given that Goff (or someone else) will give it away to Seattle at some point. But as long as the defense steps up with a short field to cover, as it has all year, the Rams stand a fighting chance.

Because of L.A.’s secondary, I think the Rams match up well with the Seahawks. Their defensive front knows how to contain Russell Wilson in the pocket, and the secondary has the talent to limit DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett – as evidenced by their Week 10 meeting.

In fact, I think the Rams will win this game if they score at least 27 points. It’s just that getting to that number may prove challenging against an improved Seattle defense.

Still, McVay will once again find a way to avoid suffering back-to-back losses, as he has four other times this year, thanks to the defense.

Final score prediction: Rams 21, Seahawks 20