If you're going to try and knock off the 9-3 Los Angeles Rams, now might be your best shot-because despite their hot streak, Week 13 was anything but clean football.
Yes, the Rams have won six of their last seven games, many of those coming against playoff-caliber opponents. But Sunday’s loss to the now 7-6 Carolina Panthers was a reminder that no team, not even one as battle-tested as LA, is immune to a bad day.
The Rams made mistakes-costly ones-and the Panthers, to their credit, capitalized. It was the kind of upset that reminds us why the NFL is the most unpredictable league in sports.
And when a heavyweight stumbles, you can count on the noise to follow. Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton wasted no time praising the Panthers and, not-so-subtly, throwing shade at the Rams in the process. That’s part of the game-especially in December, when every win (and loss) feels like it carries twice the weight.
But let’s not get carried away. Yes, the Bears are making noise in the NFC, but their remaining schedule is a gauntlet: two games against the 8-3-1 Packers, a surging 7-5 Lions squad, the 9-4 49ers, and even a 3-9 Browns team that’s better than their record suggests. Chicago would need to run the table to truly shake up the playoff picture, and that’s a tall order.
Now, back to the Rams. While the loss to Carolina stings, it might just be the wake-up call this team needed.
Upsets are part of the NFL’s DNA, and 2025 has delivered more than its fair share. The Panthers played like a team with nothing to lose-and that kind of desperation can be dangerous.
But the Rams have built their identity on resilience. This isn’t their first stumble, and it won’t be their last.
What matters is how they respond.
And if history is any indication, the Rams don’t just respond-they reload.
This team has dropped just three games all season: to the Eagles, 49ers, and now the Panthers. That’s it.
And yet, scroll through social media and you’d think the Rams were clinging to playoff life. Fans from San Francisco to Chicago to New England are all staking their claim as “the team to beat.”
Everyone’s talking-except about the Rams.
And that might be just how LA likes it.
Let the noise build elsewhere. Let the spotlight shift to teams peaking too early.
The Rams are quietly positioning themselves for another playoff run, and if they clean up the mistakes that cost them in Week 13, they’re still one of the most dangerous teams in football. The defense is physical, the offense is explosive when it’s clicking, and the coaching staff knows how to prepare for December football.
There are five games left on the schedule. All winnable.
All meaningful. And if the Rams use this loss as fuel, don’t be surprised if we look back at Week 13 not as a setback-but as a turning point.
The vultures may be circling now, but this team isn’t dead. Far from it.
The Rams are still very much in the hunt. And when they’re locked in, few teams can match their ceiling.