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St. Louis Rams Can Make Push For Playoffs With Win Against Minnesota Vikings

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

For the St. Louis Rams, the last 15 years have been forgettable to say the least. Consisting of a three-year span in which the team won a total of six games combined, things took a turn for the worst after “The Greatest Show on Turf” days. From 1999-2001, no team scored more points, had more yards or won more games than the St. Louis Rams.

Since then, this is a team that has found its spot near or at the bottom of the standings. However, this is now a team that has some hope for a turnaround. Sitting at 4-3, it is the first time since 2006, the first season of the Scott Linehan era, that the Rams have a winning record after seven games. While it is nice, they want more.

In his postgame press conference after their 27-6 win against the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Jeff Fisher had this to say:

“I’m not satisfied. I’m not satisfied overall with the team, with execution, those kind of things. That has to carry over to the players as well, and I know it does. We’ve got work to do and just try to continue to build wins. That’s the one thing we can do.”

And build wins they must. At 4-3 and just a game and a half out of first place in the NFC West, the Rams can make a push for the playoffs for the first time since the 2004 season. However, it all starts this week on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. If the season were to end today, the Rams would finish seventh in the NFC behind those said Vikings. A win, however, would put the Rams in the playoff picture with winnable games upcoming against the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens.

Winning in the NFL is never easy, and unfortunately for Fisher and the Rams, the Vikings are a team they have had trouble with in the past. In Fisher’s first season with the Rams (sitting at 6-6-1), the team lost to Minnesota, 36-22, and it was the Vikings who won four in a row on their way to the playoffs. Then, last season, Fisher and the Rams played the Vikings in the season opener only to get blown out 34-6 at home.

The Vikings have been the Rams’ kryptonite per se. Both teams are almost identical to one another in their playing and coaching styles. However, when the two go head-to-head, it has been Minnesota that has the upper hand.

At 4-3 and right in the middle of the season, it’s hard to say that a game at this point is a must-win. However, that seems to be the case here. A big win against an NFC opponent who is also fighting for a playoff spot is not only a momentum booster, but if the Rams and Vikings find themselves close near the end of the year, this game could play a role in deciding who claims a final spot.

It might not sound like much, but a 5-3 record would represent real progress in Year 4 under Fisher, and put the Rams in position to make a run at the postseason, a place they haven’t been in for over a decade.

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